


Why did I write these?

by CosmicEclipse



Category: Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga), Fairly OddParents, Naruto, Parahumans Series - Wildbow, RWBY, unOrdinary (Webcomic), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:33:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 138,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29173452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmicEclipse/pseuds/CosmicEclipse
Summary: A collection of stories I wrote at some point and don't have any real desire or plans to continue writing.
Kudos: 7





	1. Black Demon Rising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Black Clover story I started writing at some point in the past.

Why are they having a parade in the capital? Using magic like party favors…" One man said.

"The emperor returned."

"Oh, did he?"

Both men were looking towards the shining city off in the distance, sitting atop a small mountain with rolling hills leading away from it that had small towns along the roads that lead to it.

"The only reason this kingdom can exist is because of the Magic Emperor!" The man said as he looked over at a statue of the first king standing atop the skull of a three eyed demon that stood at least fifty feet high.

"I'M GONNA BE MAGIC EMPEROR!"

"What the hell?" The first man asked.

"It's that kid from the church again." The other said, looking at the small church not far from the farm they were on.

"I SWEAR I'LL MAKE YOU HAPPY! SO PLEASE MARRY ME!" The kid was short with white hair and emerald green eyes. He was wearing a white shirt with a black vest and pants with a headband on with a red four point star stitched into it. He was holding out a flower to a woman standing in front of him.

"I'm sorry Asta, but I'm everyones Sister." The woman smiled politely. She was dressed in a nuns habit with light blue hair parting from under the head dress.

The boy, Asta, fell back at this, but immediately stood back up shouting "I'M NOT FINISHED YET!"

"What? I still can't accept!"

"I'M NOT GIVING UP!"

"Really… but my answer is still no."

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING RID OF ME THAT EASILY!"

"But my answer won't…" She pulled out her grimoire and turned the page.

"ONE MORE!"

"LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY!" She shouted as a fist of water hit the boy from above and slammed into the ground. "I'm sorry Asta, I really didn't want to use my grimoire on you…"

"I'M NOT FINISHED YET!" He shouted as he stood up dripping in water, scaring the sister. He was immediately blown away by a gust of wind.

Three other kids walked up to them, one was a boy with short white hair wearing a white vest over a black shirt with white pants. The other was a girl with curly hair in a white blouse and black pants. In the middle stood a boy a head taller than Asta wearing a black shirt and white pants with two crossing white belts on his hips.

"Asta, are you putting the sister in a tight spot again?" The girl asked.

"How many times has she turned you down by now?" The younger boy asked.

"Shut your mouths you damn shrimps! And you, Yuno, Why are you getting in my way?"

"Why?" Yuno asked. "Because you're short, annoying, you can't sit still, you're narrow minded, and on top of all that you have no luck with women." He smirked, as if obviously stating all of this in jest.

"Is that something you say to someone raised along side you for 15 years, pretty boy?!"

"I'll help you with that, sister." Yuno walked over to the nun.

"Thank you, Yuno."

"Don't ignore me!"

"Asta, she's a member of the clergy, she can't get married. And you're fifteen, you can't get married either."

"I didn't ask for your input, Yuno! You know what?! FIGHT ME!"

"No." Yuno stated simply.

"I'm not giving up!" Asta attempted to fire off magic, but nothing game out.

"You have no aptitude for magic." The young boy said.

"How dare you talk to someone older than you like that!"

"Oh, shut up. In this world magic is everything." The boy lit a fire just above his finger.

"No one likes smart brats like you! Fine, since it's come to this, I'll use my ace in the hole!" He dropped to the ground and began doing sit ups fast enough that there was blur. "How you like me now! You can't do sit ups this fast!"

"And what good is that? Fool."

Asta noticed a gush of wind and looked over to see Yuno drying the laundry with his wind magic.

"You're a big help, Yuno!" The Sister said.

"LET ME CHOP SOME FIRE WOOD!" Asta held up an axe, but before he could use it Yuno swung his hand down and sliced the wood into four pieces with wind magic, leaving him stunned.

"You two are the same age yet the difference between you two is so big." The boy said.

"Ah! How did this happen?!" Asta shook Yuno, who promptly grabbed his friends hands.

"It's the result of talent and unrelenting work."

"Yuno is the hope of our little church!" The priest cried.

"If it's you, you might actually become a magic knight!" The young boy said.

"Now Asta…" The sister said to the white haired boy sitting in mock despair only he knew was partially real, "It's almost time for the awarding ceremony. Once you get your grimoire you'll be able to use magic!" She assured him.

"You're right!" He turned with a gleam in his eyes. "I'll get a grimoire that's better than everyone else's and go on to become the magic king! Then I'll come back here and rebuild out dirty little church!" He said mightily as he stared up at the statue of the first emperor.

"Excuse my dirty little church!" The priest said as the Sister smiled politely to hide any other feeling.

"He's still saying that?" The boys asked. "The only ones who can become the magic emperor are nobles or royalty with extremely high magic power."

"The possibility is open to everyone!" Asta retorted.

"There's no way they'd let low born orphans become emperor. And since you can't use magic it's not even considered a pipe dream for you, Asta. You do know the townspeople make fun of you right?"

"Dammit! Just you watch!" Asta took off running.

"Asta, where are you going?!" Sister called after him.

"Leave him be, he'll be back by dinner." Yuno said.

"Yuno…" She said. She thought about how much the boy used to cry. Until one day he came home with Asta covered in bruises and cuts. Then he stopped crying. And after that Asta started coming home covered in mud and sometimes bruises or cuts. 'What exactly is he doing? And where?"

—

"997… 998… 999… 1000." Asta was in the woods doing single handstand push ups. "Now for the tree sap that raises magic prowess!" He downed a small glass bottle and attempted to shoot magic, but once again nothing came out. Briefly thoughts of those who told him he could never do it flashed through his mind. "I'm going to be magic emperor. I'll bet my life on it. But for me to do that I need to build up some muscle." He started on a set of sit ups.

Nearby Yuno watched silently from behind a tree.

—

A crowd of young people and their guardians all walked towards a brick tower was a lot larger on the inside than it looked from the outside. From floor to ceiling the room was covered in books all tucked away on shelves. Today was awarding day. When every 15 year old got their grimoire. A day Asta had been looking forward too for months. Since the day he turned fifteen. As the crowd entered the tower a voice rang out.

"Welcome to the ceremony young ones!" An old man said, though his mouth didn't seem to move. He was wearing traditional wizard clothes with a long white beard. An orb was floating in front of his beard that sent his voice through the room. "I am the head of this grimoire tower. Now, is the future magic emperor among us?"

"Today marks the start of a new life as a magic knight." One noble born kid said.

"Look. The orphans from the church are here."

"They look so poor."

"You don't need to put them on the same level as us by giving them a grimoire."

"They look so cool!" Asta looked around excitedly.

"There isn't a person here who wants to be a magic knight for their own achievements. We actually have someone here who wishes to be the Magic Emperor. I'M SERIOUS! Now then… Grimoire conferment." Quickly, books started to fly off the shelves covered in a faint glow of magic. They flew around the room until they found their owner.

People were going wild over their new grimoire. Except…

"Excuse me… A grimoire didn't come my way!" Asta said.

"Try again… Next year!"

Asta was shocked, while everyone started laughing. Almost immediately the laughter stopped as a bright light filled the room. They looked at Yuno who had a brightly glowing grimoire floating above his hand. It was the four leaf clover.

"Is that…"

"The four leaf clover!"

"The book of legends!"

"The one the first magic emperor used!"

"Said to hold immense power and fortune!"

"I… Will be the Magic Emperor." Yuno said calmly.

There was silence. Then the room burst into cheers.

"Yuno…" Asta said, getting the boys attention. "Just you wait. I'll catch up right away. Because I'm your only rival!"

The crowd was silent again, before quickly bursting into laughter once more.

"You had the nerve to say that when you're the only one who didn't get a grimoire?!"

Asta ignored them. They meant nothing to him. The only persons opinion he cared about was the taller boy in front of him.

"Ridiculous." Yuno said simply as he walked past the boy, leaving him stunned.

"Let's go home and have a feast!" the priest yelled.

'I wonder if Asta is alright.' The Sister thought.

Asta was hanging upside down from a tree with one leg hooked over a branch. He was dumbfounded and confused as he stared blankly at the skyline.

'Does this mean I really can't do it? Should I really just give up? Man… Yuno must be so disappointed. He probably doesn't even… No, he definitely remembers our promise. He's probably mad I won't be there to contest him. I guess… I guess this is just a roadblock.'

"It won't change my plans, but I need to think about what I'm going to do from now on."

Meanwhile, Yuno was at the tower, having returned once everyone was gone. He stared up at the brick building with a look of annoyance. He was far beyond upset at what had happened today.

'Asta is the most hardworking person I've ever seen. The most caring and compassionate, if not kind of loud. How was he not chosen? All he ever did was train and try to better himself, and there was nothing here for him that could help him chase his dream?'

"How dare you not choose him!" He shouted at the building. He waited for an answer he knew wasn't coming.

"Yuno, we're leaving! Have you seen Asta?" The Sister said, walking up to him, having not heard his outburst.

"No. Even if we leave, he'll be home for dinner." Yuno turned towards her.

'So Cold…' She thought.

"Yuno! The hope of our church! Let's go have a feast in your honor!" The Priest said happily.

Yuno didn't respond, but started walking. Before they passed under the tree he was in, Asta landed on the ground in front of them, surprising the group. They walked home, mostly in silence save for the priest gushing about Yuno.

—

"I'm really worried about Asta." The Sister said to the Priest.

"He's fine. At least he's stopped going on and on about how he's going to be the magic emperor." The old man said.

"For the last year and a half he's disappeared into thin air after he finishes his chores. From noon till dinner he's gone without a trace and he comes home exhausted and covered in dirt and mud! And it only got worse after Yuno left! For those six months before he left at least they trained together, but since then he rarely even talks to anyone else. I heard a conversation between him and one of the other kids the other day. You know what they said?"

"It can't be that bad."

"The boy said he liked the old Asta better. So Asta turned around, got down to match the kids eye level and said, with the most intense look I've ever seen on anyone said 'Too bad. The old Asta is dead and he's never coming back'. Does that sound like something someone who's fine would say?"

"Maybe you've got a point…"

"He hasn't been any where near as happy go lucky as he used to be. It's like he's a different person, and I think he might be based on what he told that kid."

"Okay, okay. You're worried about him. But what do you want to do? Do you know what the cause of his personality change is? If you do know the root of the problem, can you fix it?"

"I… I think so."

"But if you're wrong and make it worse?"

"I…"

"Exactly. There's not much we can really do for him."

Sister sighed. She knew the priest was right, but she wanted to do something for the boy. She wanted to help him. He might have been annoying before, but at least he was willing to talk to people and he was a source of fun and enjoyment. Now, he was barely around, and when he was he was lost in his own little world. It didn't help that his relationship with his best friend and adoptive brother seemed to grow wider and wider as Yuno got ready to leave. She sighed again and left the church to run a few errands.

—

Asta was making his way back to the church when he saw the Sister walking home carrying bags. He was about to call out to her when she was suddenly attacked. She was wrapped up in chains and her grimoire was stolen before she had a chance to use a spell. The bags fell to the ground and spilled their contents. It looked like she was getting ready to make a cake for one of the kids.

She looked scared and didn't know what to do. As the man approached her Asta rushed down and kicked him into the wall of the nearby building.

"Asta!" She shouted.

"Hi." He said, looking at her. He realized she was still wrapped in chains and cursed. He looked over to the man who was getting up.

"You little… I'll kill you!" He shouted as he sent more chains at Asta, who dodged most of them well. But he wasn't fast enough to dodge all of them. One wrapped around his waist and tried to keep him still, but he kept moving forward.

"This won't stop me."

"But this will!" The chains suddenly grew mouths and snapped at Asta.

"Asta!" Sister struggled against the chains to try and help him to no avail.

The chain snakes hurt, but they did little damage, leaving only small cuts where they hit. The man swung his hand to the side and the chain around his waist smashed him into the wall.

'That really hurt.' Asta thought as he sat breathing heavily against the wall.

"You're crazy kid. I remember you from the awarding ceremony. I was planning on stealing that four leaf clover from your friend, but I didn't get the chance. No grimoire and you thought you could challenge a former magic knight? Absolutely crazy. Do you want to know why you didn't and won't ever get a grimoire?" The man was standing over Asta now, "It's because you have no magic power to speak of. Absolutely zero. I didn't think it was possible for people like you to exist, but here you are. Must be such a lonely and desperate existence. Being the only one in a world of magic without the ability to use it. I could only imagine the pain. I'd probably be doing you a favor by killing you." The man raised a chain to attack.

"Asta! No!"

Asta started laughing, startling the two people. He laughed as hard as he could as he stood against the wall, using it for support.

"What? What's so funny?"

"It's just… You think I don't know this already! I'm sixteen now, it's been nearly two years and still no grimoire. Of course I figured out I wouldn't get one! I'm not so stupid that I can't see something so obvious after so long! And you come here acting high and mighty thinking this is some sort of news to me. No. I know the way the world is. There was only one person who truly believed in me, but he's gone now. It's just me."

"Asta…" Sister said sadly. She didn't want him to think like that, but she knew he was right.

"But even without magic, I can still destroy you!" Asta swung at the man and hit him in the stomach, knocking him back. As the man stood up the group saw a lack grimoire float in front of Asta. The book was pitch black like someone had tried to burn it to ash, but in the middle was a clover that he could just make out with five leaves on it. "Five…" Asta said as the charred black book floated in front of him.

Sister was deadly silent. She heard what Asta said and it worried her. She thought back to something she had read in her early years about the meaning of the number of leaves on a clover. On the first three leaves you have Life, Love, and Hope. On the fourth leaf, you had fortune. And on the fifth… She gasped as he pulled two swords from the black book… On the fifth leaf, you got a demon.

"What? That isn't possible!" The man said as he sent out chains to attack Asta, who swung through them effortlessly.

"You're a weird one." He said to the sword in his left hand. It was smaller than the large black blade in his right hand, but it seemed to absorb magic while the other cut and deflected it.

"No! You monster!"

Asta said nothing as he dashed at the man smacked him with the flat of the larger blade. He was sent flying and the chains around the Sister disappeared as he hit the ground. Asta put the swords back into the grimoire and walked over to the Sister.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he helped her up.

"Uh… Yes. I'm fine."

"Good." He smiled. It was the first time she'd seen him do so in a long while. He quickly picked up the groceries she had and escorted her back to the church.

"Sister. We need to talk." Asta said as he helped her with the dishes.

"For the last time, I can't and won't marry you." She said.

"What?" He was lost for a second before he remembered. "Oh. I'd completely forgotten about that." He let a soft grin cross his face. She was almost a little sad at what he'd said.

"Oh… Then what do you want to talk about?"

"I'm leaving soon."

She was stunned and dropped the dish in her hand. The sound of shattering glass woke her up. "What? You're leaving?! Why? When?!"

"Soon. Maybe in the next month."

"Why? Why leave? What's wrong?"

"I'm only still here because I wasn't sure what my next move was. I didn't know if I wanted to leave and strike out on my own, if I should stay here and be a farmer or what. I hadn't made up my mind. But with this," His grimoire floated next to him, "I have my answer."

"Are you leaving to be a magic knight?" She sounded hopeful. This would put him on his way to his dream.

"No." Her face dropped at the answer.

"W-why not?"

"This is too unorthodox. No one would take me. I can't do anything a traditional mage can, so the chances of any of the captains accepting me are really low. If anything, I get in because they find my ability to cancel and repel magic interesting. I'd rather do my own thing."

"Are you sure about this?"

"I'm tougher than I look. I can handle myself for a while."

"When will you be back?"

"I don't know. Maybe months, maybe years, maybe never."

She didn't like the sound of that. Sure the kids had to leave when they were old enough, but Asta still had another year or so and if he was going to leave, she'd rather he be more prepared and have an actual game plan.

"No! I can't allow that!"

"Are you going to stop me?" He looked at her blankly.

She stumbled back at the look. "I-I-I…"

"I didn't think so." Asta put the dish he was drying in the cabinet and left the room.

—

A month and a half had passed and Asta had come to grasp his powers. Or, lack there of. He'd learned what he could training alone and it was time to leave. It was night when he decided to leave. He'd packed his stuff up earlier in the day and was mostly able to act as if nothing was wrong. When he thought everyone was asleep he got up and made his way out of the church, making sure to avoid all of the creaky floorboards. When he got outside into the cold night air he was greeted by the Sister.

"Asta… I'm not going to try and stop you. I know this is what you have to do, or you at least believe that, so I can't really do much to change your mind. And you're a lot stronger than I am, so I couldn't stop you with force if I wanted to. I just want you to know you aren't alone. And that you can always come back here if things get too tough. And… I made something for you." She pulled a black scarf from behind her back and wrapped it around his neck. "It gets cold out, so I thought you should have something to keep you at least a little warm."

"… Thank you." Asta said before taking off away from the kingdom.

—

"Hey, where're the priest and orphans?" A man asked. He had white hair held out of his green eyes by a wide black headband with a five leaf clover stitched into it with red lining. He had a black scarf wrapped around his face and was wearing a black vest and pants with a white shirt and wraps on his hands to his elbows.

"They left a few days ago to ask for funding to rebuild the church. It's kind of gone to hell in the last two years. The kids are all staying at the orphanage a town over until they get back. Why?"

"I was just wondering." He said as he walked away.

Asta was back in his hometown and was a little surprised to see the church so desolate and empty. He was just going to pass through and say hi before heading off to meet who he was supposed to, but he figured he would hold up his promise from a few years back. Immediately, he got to work rebuilding the church from scratch.

Due to his immense strength and speed, it didn't take him nearly as long as he was anticipating. And the materials were a lot cheaper than he was used to. After only nine days and what amounted to far less than a single jobs pay he was able to rebuild the church he'd grown up in at nearly triple the size. The townsfolk were hostile at first when he began tearing down the church, but after the second day, when he started rebuilding, they were a lot nicer. They all sent him off with well wishes and snacks for the road as he left town towards the capital.

As he left he passed the Sister and the kids all walking home looking solemn.

"It's okay. We may not have gotten enough funding to rebuild, but we should be able to make the repairs we've needed to for a while now." She said.

"Yes!" The priest said enthusiastically, "We'll get everything fixed right up in tip top shape in no time."

Asta made eye contact with the Sister, who seemed to stop for a second, before shaking her head and moving on. She felt she recognized him, but she wasn't sure how.

When the group made it back to the church they all stood in shock. This wasn't their church. This was far too big to be theirs. Far too new and clean.

"Excuse me, do you know what happened to our church?" Sister asked to a nearby farmer.

"Yeah, some white haired guy dressed in black rebuilt it from scratch. Only took the crazy bastard nine days. Didn't give any indication of who he was either. He just left a few minutes ago, too."

"Oh… Thank you."

"Sister! Look at this!" A young boy with freckles walked out hurriedly to hand her the note left on the table inside.

_I told you I'd rebuild our church. -Asta_

She rushed out the church and towards the road to see if there was any sign of the boy still there, but he was long gone. She dropped to her knees in tears.

"Thank you." Was all she could say.

—

Asta arrived in the capital and was almost overwhelmed by how much was going on. The city was large and full of people doing their own thing. He'd spent so much time isolated from others that if he hadn't been to a similar place a few times he would've been too shocked to really do much. He started walking and figuring he was late enough as is, he decided to try to find a place he could do business.

In the years he was gone, Asta had taken on odd jobs and the like to survive. At least, he did at first. As he became more skilled with his abilities and weapons he began getting offered seedier jobs. He was reluctant at first, but eventually took one out of desperation. It was a simple job. Capture someone and bring them to a warehouse unharmed. He did so and the payout was massive. Eventually bounty hunting and black market deals were how he made all his money. He tried to avoid assassination jobs if he could, but desperate times sometimes called for desperate measures. They weren't his proudest moments, but they kept him alive.

He walked into a bar down a dark alley of the black market. He was surprised by how easy it was to find and that it was an operating one in the capital city. It was largely empty and there were job listings on the black board behind the bar.

"What do you want?" A woman said from behind the counter. She was tall with short red hair to her shoulders. She didn't look dangerous, but gave off an air that said she could fight with the best of them. She had tattoos down her arms and some that peeked out on her chest and shoulders.

"I'm looking for work." He said simply.

"What kind of work?"

"What ever you have available. Though I'd like to avoid being a janitor if possible."

The woman nodded. "We have enough of those in this city as is. I can get you some escort and bounty missions. They're a bit rarer but pay more. Just fill out this application and come back in a few days. I'll have something for you then."

He nodded and took the paper. He moved to an empty table as he began to fill it out. The questions were pretty generic. How can you be reached for urgent jobs? Alias? Magic ability? He answered them all. He'd been going by an alias the younger him thought was cool. The Black Clover. Now that he was older, it seemed a bit too obvious, considering what was on his book and headband. Since he was in a new city he decided to change it, but he did list his old one as a way for the handler to judge whether or not he was worth the effort. He decided on his new name quickly and went with something he thought was generic sounding without being too edgy or stupid. He settled on Black Star. He turned in the application with a fee then left the building to meet with an old friend.

—

Mereoleona Vermillion was a beast like woman. She had wild fire red hair and left the impression of a lion ready to pounce. She wore a light-colored tunic, covered by a long, dark-colored shirt with long sleeves and high collar. The shirt was decorated with fabric with vertical stripes design on its edges and collar and along the sleeves, which she kept rolled up to her elbows. In order to keep the shirt together, she wears a sash around her waist. She wears light-colored trousers. On top of her attire, she wore a red robe that covered her entire body.

She was waiting at the meeting point angrily. This guy should've been here days ago. Who did he think he was to make her wait her for days on end when she had more important things to do than stand around. Just as her anger started to reach a peak that made everyone go out of their way to avoid her, she spotted him. She marched up to him angrily and grabbed him by the collar.

"Where the hell have you been? I've been waiting for you to get here for days!" She roared.

"Sorry. I was doing charity work in my home town."

"Charity work?"

"The church I grew up in was falling apart, so I rebuilt it. I just got to town a few hours ago. Figured I'd spend a bit of the time finding new work, which I did."

"No more wet work jobs I hope." She said as she put him down.

"No. The few I did were out of pure necessity. No other way."

"Still. You're a little young for stuff like that."

"I'm almost nineteen."

"Still."

"I guess. It's good to see you again, even if you were about to rip my head off."

"Yeah, glad you're not dead. Follow me. I'm busy. My brother just survived an assassination attempt, meaning I'm in charge of the Crimson Lions now."

"Sorry to hear that. Is he going to recover any time soon?"

"… No. He lost an arm and nearly his life. These guys called the White Night Eye have been giving us trouble for years, but they've been getting bold lately. Desperate. Like their plan needs to happen soon or it won't happen at all."

"Sounds like they're going to be a bigger threat in the coming months."

"Exactly." She said as they walked into the castle.

"Wait, where are we going."

"Like I said, I'm busy. Since you're so late you're coming with me to this meeting."

"Why? What's it about?"

"It's a conferment. People are getting promoted."

"Why don't you just have me wait outside until it's over?"

"Are you joking? You look incredibly suspicious. No, you're better off with me. Besides, we're allowed a plus one."

"Fine." He quickly reveres his headband to reveal the old red star he used to wear when he was younger and pulled his scarf down to show his face. Couldn't have magic knights seeing him in his work clothes after all. It was a minor change, but he found most people didn't care enough to really spot the differences.

"Good, because we're here." She said as she threw the doors open and the two walked in. Immediately all eyes were on them as the latest comers to the party. He didn't really see anyone that was of particular interest to him at first. Just a line of magic knight captains, some of which were stuck up nobles, but it didn't really mean much to him. He wondered where Yuno might be, if not in this room, but put the thought aside as they walked past the captains and stood behind Mereoleona in the line next to a girl with dark skin and a revealing outfit. She had on a tube top with elbow warmers and pants that left her inner thighs exposed with her blue knights mantle covering just below her neckline.

She was behind a stoic looking woman in a sett of armor with a blonde braid sticking from the left side of her silver helmet.

"What are you looking at?" The dark girl asked.

"Nothing in particular." Asta shrugged and looked away from her.

"You were eying me up weren't you?"

"No. You're of no interest to me."

"What? What does that mean?" She sounded offended.

"It means what it means. You don't interest me. I was just seeing who I was next to. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Are you saying you doubt my abilities as a knight?"

"… What? Are you deaf or something? Did I ever say such a thing?"

"Who even are you, anyway? Why are you here?"

"Acquaintance of Mereoleona. She dragged me along because I was late to our meeting and she had to come to this. Why are you so hostile?"

"Because you're trying to act like you weren't eyeing me up!"

"I wasn't."

"Liar! You're all alike!"

"What are you even talking about?"

"Men! You're all perverts."

"You're a weirdo." Asta turned away from her.

"Don't ignore me!" She summoned her grimoire and rock covered her fist as she began to swing at Asta.

He moved slightly, just enough to dodge the hit, and reached up to his grimoire to pull his blade out. Before the hilt was all the way out the two were stopped.

"Sol! Stop!" Her captain shouted.

"Asta! Enough! This is neither the time nor place!" Mereoleona slapped him and he put his sword away. The king walked in shortly after.

The rest of the ceremony was a blur to Asta. All he knew was that Yuno had been promoted to Vice Captain of the Golden Dawn and he was happy for him. Once the ceremony was over, everyone moved to eat. Before Asta and Mereoleona could start talking, a voice rang from behind Asta.

"You haven't changed one bit, have you?"

"What do you mean? I'm not as loud." Asta said as he turned to see Yuno smiling at him.

"I knew it. From the very beginning it was nothing but ridiculous that you weren't chosen."

"You were the only one that really believed it though."

"Does this mean you're finally back on track?"

"Maybe. You're already a lot closer to the goal than I am though."

"Then you just have to catch up. You're only 3 and a half years behind."

"You've got quite the huge head start. We'll see how I feel though."

"You better catch up." Yuno put his fist out. Asta looked at him for a second before pulling him in for a hug.

"It's good to see you after so long."

"You too." Yuno smiled.

"Vice Captain, who is this?" A blue haired man with glasses asked, adjusting the frames on his face.

"Yes, he seems a little…" The orange haired girl to Yuno's right said.

"So you have to tell me about all the things you've been doing to make it to Vice Captain." Asta said.

"Asta! We still need to talk!" Mereoleona said.

"Come on, Leona, can't I have some time with my brother? We haven't seen each other in ages!"

"Brother?!" The boy asked.

"Leona?" The girl was shocked.

"Ugh, fine. You've got twenty minutes."

"Yes! So come on man, tell me what you've been up to!"

"You should be the one telling me what you've been doing. I went to visit home a while back and all Sister told me was that you left."

"Hey, I asked first." Asta wrapped an arm around Yuno's neck as they started walking.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" The blue haired boy shouted.

"Klaus. Stop it." Was all Yuno said to get the boy to quiet down.

—

Sounds like you've been through some crazy shit." Asta laughed.

"Me?! You've almost died multiple times!"

"Yeah, but that comes with the territory."

"Oh yeah, you didn't tell me what your grimoire does."

"Oh, I summon weapons. Mostly swords." Asta pulled his original large black great sword from his grimoire.

"That's a big weapon."

"Yeah." Asta said as he started spinning it around carelessly.

"That's it? You summon swords? That barely qualifies you as anymore than a regular knight." Klaus said.

"Hey, glasses, can you hold this for me?" Asta held the sword out to Klaus.

"Sure. The way you're swinging it around it probably weighs no-," He reached out and grabbed the sword and immediately dropped to the floor, "THING!" His hand was pinned to the ground under the weight of the sword. He was trying with all his might to pick it up, but he couldn't. More than that, he felt all the magic in him begin to slowly drain out into the sword.

"That's heavy."

"Yep. I'm the only one who can use my weapons. Far as I can tell no one else is strong enough to lift them."

"Can you help me?" Klaus said.

Yuno tried to lift the sword with wind, but turned to Asta when his magic dissipated upon touching the blade.

"I'll tell you about that later." Asta said as he picked up the blade effortlessly and began to balance it on one finger.

"Alright then." Yuno said.

"I should probably get back to Leona. She'll be mad at me if I don't get back to her soon. Since I'm moving here we can catch up some more later."

"Alright. It was nice seeing you again."

"You too!" Asta started to take off when an explosion rang out somewhere in town.

"What was that?" The orange haired girl asked.

"An explosion. Obviously. Where do you find these people?" Asta asked.

"Captain William picks them." Yuno said.

"Hey!" Klaus said.

"Mimosa, Klaus, you're with me. Asta, what are you doing?"

"Whatever I can, I guess."

"So nothing?" Klaus asked.

"Your mom." Asta said.

"Classy."

"Yeah, like your face. Which only a mother could love."

"At least I have a mother."

"Klaus." Yuno said.

"Sorry sir."

"Asta! The city is under attack. Why are you still here? Go out and help people. We'll talk later." Mereoleona came rushing outside followed by the other knights.

"Got it!" He said as he pulled up his scarf before disappearing in a flash.

"Was that a speed spell?" Mimosa asked.

"Nothing of the sort. That was raw physical speed." Mereoleona said.

"Wow."

"No time to chat. Yuno, you know him so you and your group go with him. I don't want him by himself. Who knows what he'll do."

"Captain, I'd like to go with them. I want to see what he's capable of." Sol said.

"Fine." Was all her captain said as she broke away with the other captains.

By the time the group reached Asta he was finishing up an area. There were corpses, or rather pieces of corpses, littering the ground. The bodies were all sliced cleanly in half in one way or another. They watched as he threw his smaller great sword like a shuriken while dashing at a group in front of him. The sword he threw sliced through the group of zombies it hit like butter while he skewered the group in front of him before spinning to slice them in half. Just before the thrown blade hit a wall it flew into his grimoire instead and returned to his hand.

Asta looked around the survey the area and his work when he noticed the others watching him.

"Took you guys long enough." He said.

"We had to find you." Klaus said.

"So you just followed the trail of corpses."

"Never thought I'd see the day you were this effective." Yuno said as he floated down off the wind, a small fairy next to him.

"Who is this, Yuno? He's kind of scary. And his grimoire is scarier." The fairy said.

"This is my best friend and brother, Asta. We grew up together, but went our separate ways a few years ago due to circumstances."

"You mean the fact he has zero magic?"

The group was silent. Zero magic at all? Then how'd he get a grimoire? How was he so strong? Was something like that even possible?

"You have no magic?" Mimosa asked.

"Yup. Not really the time for this though." Asta said.

"Then how do you have grimoire?" Klaus asked.

"Did you not just hear me say this isn't the time? There are zombies destroying the town. We don't have time to talk about me."

"Fine, we'll talk later." Sol said.

"Great. Let's go." Asta took off and all but Yuno struggled to follow him.

They came upon another open area filled with zombies. Asta started to fight, but Yuno stopped him.

"I've got this. You and Sol go on ahead."

"Alright." Asta said before taking off. Sol reluctantly followed him.

They took out all the zombies they found until they got to another open area with a large amount of zombies in it. Sol summoned a large slab of rock and crushed a group of zombies. She turned to gloat to Asta, but shut her mouth when she saw him pulling his sword from the last of his group.

They kept moving before finally coming to a the towns square. Just as they got there they saw the other knights and captains get warped away by some form of spatial magic.

"Captain!" Sol shouted, gathering the attention of the enemies.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" The man said.

"Why'd you have to shout? We could've gotten the drop on him!" Asta said.

"He killed my captain!" She started to rush the man, but was stopped by Asta.

"No he didn't. That was warp magic. And it wasn't even his. This is the guy responsible for the zombies."

"How can you tell?"

"Because they just fell through a giant hole. The only magic I've ever seen that does that is warp magic."

"Well, guess we have a genius here." The man in tattered purple clothes and a eyepatch over his left eye.

"You handle them Rades. I've got things to do." The other man said before disappearing through a black portal.


	2. Pull the Trigger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Worm/Persona Crossover. Largely based Taylor off of her "Isn't it a Drag" counterpart and her smoking habit eventually went on to be a part of "Nailing the Sword".

Some would say I was far too jaded for my age. Those people don't know a god damn thing. Considering the sort of things I'm put through on a daily basis, I'd say I'm not jaded enough. Or I'm just jaded enough. Shitty school life where I'm constantly treated like trash and no one cares to try to help, shitty home life with a distant father who's just stopped caring, and my only real outlet was cape shit.

So, here I stand on a roof top in Empire territory beating the shit out of Nazi's while I smoke. Well, Not me per se, but my minions were putting in work. Honestly having more than one out at a time was probably overkill. Not like it really mattered. No one gives a fuck about Nazi's. Prometheus, my tracking minion, sat next to me feeding a map of the building straight into my skull along with where everyone was. The glowing black orb made things so much easier.

Inside Loki and Thanatos smacked down everything in sight that shot at them. There were more people here than usual, because this had been going on for five minutes, which was four minutes too long. Finally the gun fire stopped.

"Finally." I droned, dropping down to the fire escape and sliding into a window. The smell of blood didn't even faze me anymore. At first the smell was a bit overwhelming, forcing me to cover my face with a cloth, even through my mask. Now it just smelled like pennies. I moved over to the first guy, he wasn't bleeding, one of them probably got sliced by Thanatos on accident or caught a reflected bullet. I might have lost my mind, but killing wasn't quite my style. Yet at least. I searched him and his friends and came away with just over six hundred dollars. A nice surprise. The goons usually only have a few twenties between them.

I pulled out the prepaid phone I bought when I realized I'd be busting criminals instead of just fighting other capes and called the PRT number.

"Hello?"

"This is Nevermore. Got an Empire safe house in downtown off the corner of 8th a few blocks down from Medhall. They'll be all tied up by the time whoever gets here gets here."

"Uh, alright. Before you hang up I've got a message from-." I ended the call. I didn't want to listen to whatever Miss Militia or whoever had to say. I had no intention of joining the Wards willingly. They didn't get to fight except for the really big stuff and no way was I going to give up my freedom to fight just to get bogged down in bureaucracy.

That and I knew I had a warrant out for me for all the people I injured. The PRT did not like that.

I finished zip tying my captures for the night and checked my watch. I needed to leave in case they sent Velocity or something. Not to mention it was nearly 3 a.m, so I had to get home soon. I jumped from the roof of the building and landed in a back alley. As I walked I silently mused to myself about how I had to stop using cuffs. They were far too expensive and I would never get them back once the PRT took in my captures. I preferred them, a lot harder to break, but I had to make do.

"There you are." A Menacing voice said from above me.

I looked up and saw as one of my projections, Ariadne, appeared and knocked a chunk of concrete away from me.

"You've been giving us a lot of trouble, recently." This voice was from behind me. I turned slightly to see Hookwolf. His disgusting hairy chest on display for the world to see. He was muscular, hunky for sure I'd give him that, but I tend to not be in the habit of complementing Nazi's. He was a violent psychopath too, but I couldn't say much since I wasn't that far removed from him in terms of brutality at times.

That meant that Rune and one of the other Capes were on the rooftops. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say Storm Tiger or Cricket.

"You'll want to give up, girl." I looked in front of me to find an albino man in a Nazi uniform fingering his knife.

"Wow, this is quite the welcoming committee." I said, looking from Alabaster to Hookwolf. "You certainly know how to treat a girl."

"Heh, you think you can make jokes right now? No, we're here for a good old fashioned lynching." Hookwolf said, then stopped to consider his words. "In gang terms." He clarified, as if it made a real difference. If I were black I doubt he would have made that clarification.

"Shame. I had the rope ready and everything too." Alabaster joked. I felt my lips move back into a sneer.

"You people disgust me." I said.

"Oh, so you're a race traitor too, huh? Can't say I'm surprised with how badly you've been hitting us." Hookwolf said.

"Don't feel so special. I go after the ABB and Merchants just as often. My hatred is equal opportunity, you limp dick fuck. You just come back from a gay bar or does your boyfriend just like you out topless?"

"You'll pay for that."

"Make me." I smiled coldly.

—Miss Militia—

"Just got a call from Nevermore. Says she busted up an Empire safe house in downtown on 8th near Medhall." The PRT Trooper spoke over her com.

"On my way." Miss Militia said, taking off on her motorcycle towards the reported arrest. "Police ETA?"

"Ten minutes."

"Got it."

Miss Militia gunned it when the call was over. She hoped to get a chance to talk to Nevermore. The girl had done okay by herself for the last few months, but she was going to need support of some kind soon. Not to mention if she came to the Wards willingly her charges could be delayed, waived, or dropped. As it was now she would be in the same boat as Shadow Stalker if she got caught. Which was why she'd asked to be notified first of any activity involving Nevermore. If she could convince her than things could go smoother.

She flipped the siren on her bike and ran the red lights. Not like there were many people on the road this time of night anyway, but better safe than getting stopped by a cop on her way to a pick up.

As she neared the apparent safe house she saw a body fly across the street and into a wall, kicking up dust and debris. A second followed after it, then a third. She recognized the second and third as Alabaster and Nevermore respectively. She stopped her bike and siren and watched Nevermore stab Hookwolf through Alabaster before they could recover. She dodged a blow by Storm Tiger and summoned a minion. It was taller than her, standing maybe six foot six to her five foot eight. It had a silver mask and was dressed similarly to a Civil War fighter. It had… Wings? Made of coffins and a sword in its right hand. It bent forward slightly and a blast of purplish lightning shot from its mouth, missing Storm Tiger, but hitting Rune, who was not prepared for the attack. She fell from the sky with a loud crunch.

"This is Miss Militia. I'm going to need back up. Nevermore is engaged in a fight with Hookwolf, Alabaster, and Storm Tiger. She just took out Rune."

"Velocity will be there in two, and Assault and Battery have an ETA of five. Troopers with wagons and cops should be there with Assault and Battery. Are you engaging?"

"Not yet. I'm want to see how Nevermore does."

"Roger."

Alabaster and Hookwolf recovered quickly and moved to attack her, but another minion appeared and impaled Alabaster on spikes that seemed to be made of pure darkness. Then she was gone. Hookwolf scanned for her until he heard Storm Tiger cry out. He'd been hit from behind. Stabbed in the back of the leg by the glowing red sword Nevermore held in her left hand.

"You bitch!" He shouted. He tried to hit her with air claws, but a minion that looked a bit like a woman made of fire with bird wings spread between her arms appeared and took the hit while Nevermore stabbed him in his other leg. Rune apparently recovered or had never been knocked out and sent a volley of debris at Nevermore. The minion that shot lightning at her appeared and let out a ghastly scream that repelled the debris and stunned Storm Tiger, as well as forcing Miss Militia herself to cover her ears.

"What was that?" Velocity asked, suddenly next to her.

"I have no idea. Apparently Nevermore is a Master with Trump overtones. Her minion screamed and that was what happened." Miss Militia explained.

"Should we join in?"

"No. This is a chance. Console, have the troopers come from both ends of the street."

"Roger."

Rune seemed to be out of it for good now, leaving only Alabaster and Hookwolf left. They got into position on either side of her and attacked in unison. A minion blocked Hookwolf while Nevermore dodged Alabaster. While she engaged Alabaster in a blade fight, Hookwolf was trying to get past her minion, which was routinely shooting lightning at him. Hookwolf got past the projection as Alabaster slipped through her guard. Another Projection appeared and stopped both of them. Then, Nevermore seemed to tire of the game.

"Diamond Dust!"

A skeleton woman in a red gown riding atop a seven headed dragon with crowns on appeared and suddenly a ball of spinning ice appeared above her before exploding, knocking the capes back and partially freezing Hookwolf and Alabaster while blanketing the street in a thin layer of ice.

By this time Assault and Battery had shown up with the other squad on the opposite end of the street.

"Cuff her." Miss Militia said.

Velocity was gone and behind Nevermore in a second, cuffing her. She seemed surprised by the sudden number of people around.

"Shit." She said.

—Taylor—

This sucked.

Fucking Nazi's holding me up. Fucking Miss Militia catching up to me and calling the whole squad. My fucking inability to ignore a decent fight. It all led to a perfect storm.

"You understand your options, correct?" The very fat woman in front of me said.

"Why are you awake?" I asked. She had just spent the last half hour reading out a list of charges against me for excessive force (115 counts sounded too little considering I'd been operating for the better part of three months) and I hadn't really listened.

"That's all you have to ask?" She asked sternly.

"I mean, it's three-thirty. You're not a Cape, Director, so why not have someone else do this?"

"Because it's my job."

"Sounds tough."

"It is. Especially with people like you running around."

"I'm not that bad. Shadow Stalker was worse, wasn't she? I mean, I've never come close to murdering anyone, despite how easy it would be to do so even accidentally with my power set."

"You constantly going looking for a fight is the problem." She sneered, but didn't bother refuting me.

"Yeah. Least I keep collateral down for the most part."

She didn't answer me. I laughed through my nose.

"Well, anyway, my choices are Juvie or the Wards, correct?"

"Yes."

"Does the government always look to obscure facts to get things to work in their favor, or is that only when it comes to Capes?" She looked offended at the insinuation.

"How dare you sit here and try to call me corrupt?!"

"Well, I haven't done anything worse than the protectorate already does in taking down gang members and the like. I'm sure Armsmaster has never caught a case for excessive force for breaking some dudes ribs with the blunt end of his Halberd." The frustration in her eyes told me I was right.

"We've gotten people captured by you taken in with gunshot wounds!"

"An unfortunate side effect of some of my minions repelling gunfire."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm guessing Miss Militia and some of the other heroes saw me fighting the SS rejects, so you know part of my powers now. I have minions which each have their own powers. It just so happens that some of them also have resistances to certain types of attacks. Gunfire is one of those. One or two of them repel gunfire."

"That's no excuse."

"Of course you'd say that. Anyhow, seeing as how you're press ganging me—."

"I am not press ganging you."

"Seeing as how you're press ganging me to join the Wards, I'll accept, despite the charges mostly being bullshit, under a few conditions."

"You're not in the position to make demands, girl."

"It's nothing unreasonable. One of them is I don't get re-branded."

"And why is that?"

"Well, it's more that you can't re-brand me. This costume is a Breaker state."

Her eyes widened slightly at that. "Oh?"

"Yup."

"And the other requests?"

"I want to be able to spar with the Protectorate heroes."

"Why?"

"Like you said, I initially went out looking for a fight. It's a result of my broken psychology. I enjoy few things more than a good fight."

"I'll tell them. Anything else?"

"Yeah, I'm not quitting smoking."

That one made her scowl.

"You will most certainly quit smoking."

"Nah, I'm not. I won't smoke like, during events or anything, but in civilian life or when I'm just sitting around here, I want to be able to smoke. I'll go up to the roof and everything."

"You will not be allowed to smoke. It's illegal."

"So are a lot of things that people still do. Besides, it's not like I'm getting drunk or anything."

"Is this going to be a deal breaker?" She asked, tired. I could tell she just wanted to get back to sleep.

"I mean, whether you approve of me smoking or not I'm still going to do it. So yes. I'm not asking you to supply me or anything, I just don't want to get in trouble for it."

"I'll see what I can do. Is that all?"

"It is."

"Good. Get in contact with your guardians. We'll send someone to get them."

"Right now?"

"Yes."

"And if I don't think they're trustworthy?"


	3. Rebellion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pretty generic Jaune focused RWBY story.

Jaune Arc stood in front of a statue in the middle of Beacon Academy. He wasn't admiring the statue, so much as trying to blow it up with his mind. At least, that's what everyone that passed by him assumed from the glare he had leveled at the styled chunks of stone. He was glaring at the statue because it was of his supposed great-great-grandfather. Not that he'd know. He was only an Arc in name. He didn't know why his birth family had given him up, but he did know who they were. A well off family that had gained fame as having bred heroes since the great war. Currently they had seven daughters. Maybe he was the illegitimate child of one of the parents. Maybe they didn't want a boy. Maybe they didn't think he could uphold the family name. It didn't really matter. He had more important things on his plate at the moment.

Like vengeance.

Jaune stepped into the relatively small auditorium and stood at the back. He wasn't particularly interested in getting to know anyone. He wasn't even here because he really wanted to be. This was Luke's dream. Luke was the one that talked constantly about how he was going to be the best Huntsman in the world. He and Gwen often egged on his speculative tales of how he'd be hailed as the greatest hero, incredibly interested in how creative their friend could get. Gwen often joked about how he should be a writer instead of a huntsman.

It was this thought that had him slipping back into his memories.

Jaune had been found near a small village in the southern part of Vale. A really out of the way place called Carthus. It's where he grew up. From the ages of one to ten, it was where he lived. He'd made friends, and had a wonderful family. The town bakers had taken him in, being unable to have children of their own. It was where he met his best friend Luke, who aspired more than anything to be a hunter. Where he'd met his first love, Gwen, who was a swan Faunus. Where he learned the value of friendship and how great is is to have a family and people that care for you, even if you aren't blood.

Until it all burned down, at least. A few months after he turned ten, the town had been attacked by Grimm. It was chaos. Buildings burned and dead bodies littered the streets, while the ones that weren't dead were running and screaming. Those who could fight, tried their best.

"Run, Jaune! You have to get out of here!" His mother had shouted, pinned to the ground by a fallen beam in their burning house.

He'd screamed that he couldn't leave her. That he needed her. That he didn't know where to go. But she told him to go. That she wouldn't make it, but she would always love him as her own. His father hadn't returned yet, leaving him to think the worst.

Jaune ran. With tears in his eyes he'd run away. He'd tried to convince Luke and Gwen to come with him, but Luke was adamant about helping in the fighting, and Gwen was nowhere to be found.

He'd finally stopped running after nearly twenty minutes. Even with his parents teaching him to cook, he'd spent ample amounts of time outside, so he could run for a while. He was somewhere up the mountain trail not far from the village. He was too tired and scared to really do much, but happened upon a hollowed out tree. He'd decided to sleep there.

Once day broke, he had gone back to check and see if everything had turned out okay.

It hadn't.

The town was in utter tatters. The dead littered the streets and some buildings still had embers floating off of them. He'd nearly puked when he saw his best friend lying on the ground, his upper body leaning against a wall twenty feet from his lower body. He did puke when he saw Gwen's beautiful white hair and feathers stained in her own blood. He'd cried harder than the night before when he found his parents. His mother still trapped under the beam and his father, with claw marks on his chest, was sitting next to her.

Jaune left the town after making graves for his loved ones. He wasn't strong enough to move their bodies, but he could at least offer a symbolic resting place for them. The headstones were sloppy and carved in wood, but it was the best he could do.

Most would say he was lucky to survive in the mountains like he did for two weeks, but he wouldn't call it that. It was suffering. Hardly anything to eat and on constant watch for Grimm. He hardly slept more than an hour at a time and sometimes not for days.

It was in the middle of his third week that he was picked up by someone. A tall woman with short violet hair. It was apparently also her name. Her parents were quite literal.

The first two weeks of Jaune's life with Violet were quite silent. He wasn't in a mood to talk, and she hardly spoke anyway. She lived in a cave that she'd transformed into a pretty comfortable place to live. He noticed she was never without her sword, a black blade he thought looked like a kitchen knife, that had a brown hilt with black tape wrapped around it. She was really quite skilled with it.

"Why'd you save me?" Was the first thing he had asked her.

"Because no one saved me." She had said, looking into the fire they were sitting in front of.

After that they had a more amicable, if not silent, relationship. A few months was all it took for Jaune to get used to understanding her, which surprised Violet because most people didn't. She'd also begun training him. In use of the sword, martial arts, and his aura. She explained things to him that Luke hadn't even mentioned about aura. He was clumsy and off balance at first, but she had him at a basic level in a few weeks.

Their daily routine for the next seven years was training, hunting, learning, and the occasional rest. Violet didn't really like school, and neither did Jaune, but she felt he needed to at least learn about the world around him. She mostly taught him history and language, but there were a few lessons on politics as well, and the occasional math class. He did need to know how to handle money, after all.

This all came to a screeching halt a few weeks after he turned seventeen.

"Get out here, Violet! I know you're in there!" A woman called from outside.

Violet shot him a look that said to stay hidden before going out. Jaune watched from out of sight as Violet confronted the woman who had shown up.

She was a head shorter than Violet, putting her somewhere around five feet. She had long red hair to her chest and golden eyes. He could see the tail wrapped around her waist as a belt.

"No hello? Is that really how you treat an old team member?" She asked.

"You betrayed us, Kara." Violet said.

"It's not my fault a better deal came along." She said with a shrug.

"You killed everyone. Even your own brother. Your own boyfriend. My friend. Ash loved you."

"You know I never really cared about any of you right? I think my brother knew, or at least had an idea. I was really just waiting for something more fun to come along. Being a huntress is boring. So many rules. Helping people. It's never really been my style. The group I'm with now is much more fun."

Violet attacked Kara, her eyes narrowed in a look of annoyance and a fire in them. It was the most emotion he'd ever seen on the stoic womans face.

The fight was long and fierce. By the time it was over there was new clearing outside their cave.

The two women were breathing hard, One with a look of hate and anger, the other with a look of smug satisfaction and amusement.

"Were you really expecting any other outcome?" Kara asked, her gun pressing harder into Violet's face. "I mean, honestly, I was always the best at combat in our group. You were a close second, but I guess living in the woods for so long has made you rusty. I'll be honest, this was actually pretty fun for me. I'd let you live if I didn't have something riding on this. Any last words? Want to say how much you hate me? Curse my name? Say you'll get vengeance in the next life?"

Violet looked down, thinking about her words.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"That's new."

"You were like family. I did what I could, and I hope that was enough, and I'm sorry things have turned out this way. I can only wish you well."

Jaune could tell she wanted to say a lot more. That she didn't look toward him and left the speech vague for his safety. He felt the familiar stinging of tears in his eyes. He could hear what she wanted to say and that made it so much harder.

"That's a new one. Was that a eulogy or something? Were you trying to say you hoped I'd be a better person after this? Eh, doesn't matter. Enjoy your trip to hell, Vi."

Jaune had to cover his mouth with both hands to keep himself from screaming. She'd tried her hardest to keep him safe and he wasn't going to let that be ruined because he couldn't control himself.

"A cave," Kara said with a small laugh. "I can't believe you were really living in a fucking cave all this time. Made you hard to find, that's for sure." She said before walking off. Jaune waited until he couldn't hear her talking to herself anymore before he moved. He got up from his hiding spot and sat on the couch. He didn't move for hours. Didn't want to risk anything yet. When it was finally near night fall, that was when he moved, pulling Violet's body into the cave.

The hours he spent unmoving were spent thinking. He needed a plan. He couldn't exactly stay here now. Plus he needed something to keep his mind off the fact that the woman who had raised him for the last seven years was just brutally murdered in front of him. It was the next day that he executed his plan. He spent the morning digging a grave for Violet, using a tree as her headstone. Once he was done he gathered his new sword that she'd made him, as well as a large backpack and every essential he'd need, including what little money they kept on hand, before leaving.

The trip had taken him a few weeks, but he made it to Beacon just in time to apply for the new semester, leaving him where he was now.

Jaune looked up when he heard someone tap the mike on the stage. He tuned out most of the speech, hearing something about wasted energy and knowledge, before heading off to get something to eat.

—

Those girls were making a lot of noise. Some long haired blonde and a girl with short black hair. They seemed to become aware of how loud they were being when a girl with white hair stepped over to yell at them it, essentially negating her entire point. He tried his best to ignore them.

It was nearing midnight and he wasn't particularly tired. If anything, he needed a drink. He got up and moved silently through the room, before getting to the bar. They left water out for the students, but he'd kind of wished they'd left out something stronger. Being underage, he wasn't allowed to drink. But you'd be surprised how many people tossed the law out the window when you told them you had to watch several friends die. He never got specific, but he'd told several bar patrons his story on his journey up to Beacon. Every time they got him a drink or two. A few girls even kept him company, but he never really let it get to the end game.

"Wonder if they even keep booze on campus."

"And why would you need alcohol?"Asked a stern voice from behind him.

Jaune turned to see the blonde woman who was on stage earlier. He golden hair tied into a bun and stern look in her green eyes. He could faintly see his reflection in her glasses from the lighting in the room.

"A stiff drink always helps keep the mind off of unwanted memories. You're too focused on how bad it tastes to think about anything else." He said with a sly grin, before taking a sip of water.

"And how would you know that?"

"How else?"

"Do not get snippy with me, boy."

"Jeez, okay."

"What are you even doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"These 'unwanted memories'?"

"Bingo."

"… What's you're name?" She asked him.

"Jaune."

"Jaune what?"

He stayed silent at this, eyes looking toward the ground. He wasn't a fan of his last name. It reminded him of the fact that he'd been abandoned. Not that he didn't love the family that he did have, but it always rubbed him the wrong way. Plus, he hated the reaction he'd gotten out of the people he'd told on his way to Beacon. It was always shock or disbelief. 'THE Arcs? But they don't have a son! You must be an impostor! How dare you use the name of such a legendary and respected family?' He'd stayed Arc because his parents had both been orphans and had never gotten around to getting last names, and he'd never learned Violet's last name. He'd change it if he could.

"I asked you a question."

"I don't have one."

"Would you like me to check the registrations?" She asked sternly.

"No!" He said quickly, fearing she'd punish him if she had to go that far, "It's Arc."

He watched her face when he said the name. She almost seemed taken aback, before examining him for any signs of deception.

"Very well then, Jaune Arc. I recommend you get back to bed. You've got an important test tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am." He said, downing the rest of his glass of water and leaving.

'What an odd kid.' Glynda thought to herself as she went back to her place watching the students.

—

Jaune walked through the locker room looking for his locker. This room was ridiculously large and none of the lockers were in numerical order. He had locker 626, which wasn't next to locker 627, which itself wasn't even remotely close to another locker within ten digits of it's number.

He mostly tuned out the idle conversations going on until he heard one word: Teams. Why did they have to be in teams? That just made things so much harder for him.

This train of thought was disrupted as he found his locker. 626. Between lockers 476 and 294. What kind of sense did that even make? Whoever organized this room needed an ass beating and a year long refresher course on how numbers worked.

He opened the locker, not even regarding the two women who were talking on either side of it.

"Excuse you!" Said a haughty voice from his left.

"Yes?" He asked, looking over to find a girl with platinum blonde hair and pale skin with ice blue eyes similar to his own in a white dress glaring at him. She had a rapier on her hip and a scar down her left eye.

"You interrupted our conversation!"

"Hello!" A red head with green eyes waved. She was dressed in a a brown corset with a lighter line down thee middle and a black mini skirt with bronze thigh high boots and brown elbow length gloves. Her hair was tied into a loose pony tail that met her hips and a bronze tiara around her head.

"Oh. Sorry." He said, pulling his things from his locker.

"Whoa!" The pale girl had said, seeing the size of the blade.

He set it down while he slipped on his armor.

"Whoa there, blondie. Compensating for something?" A girl with long blonde hair and lilac eyes smirked. She was wearing a yellow crop top and a brown jacket with brown shorts and black boots, as well as golden bracelets.

"No." Jaune said without looking at her. He was dressed in a form fitting black training shirt and grey pants that looked baggy, but were tight where they needed to be. He had white plate armor that covered his chest, but not his stomach, and white gauntlets that were rigid on his arms but stopped at the joint. Only a single white plate sat on the back of his hands while the black fabric keeping it together stopped at his fingers, acting like fingerless gloves.

"You're no fun." The blonde had said.

"Nice sword! What's it called? What's it do? Did you make it?" The black and red haired girl with silver eyes asked quickly. She was dressed in a black dress and had a red cloak over that and a red shot gun strapped to her back.

"It's just a sword. It doesn't have a name." He said, picking up the sword. It was nearly as long as he was tall. The blade was a deep black rectangle slightly wider than his forearm and measuring somewhere around 4 feet. The hilt was long enough that he could grip it four times fist over fist.

"Your weapon doesn't have a name? Our weapons are our partners! They should have names! Why doesn't yours have a name?"

Jaune got a distant and haunted look in his face for a few seconds before answering. It unnerved the girls, but they didn't say anything.

"Circumstances didn't allow for it." He said, looking at her.

"You should name it now!"

Jaune picked up the sword with one hand and looked into the blade, at his own reflection.

"Nox."

"A fitting name…" The red head said, seemingly looking for a name.

"Jaune."

"A fitting name for such a blade, Jaune!" She smiled and held out her hand. "Pyrrha Nikos. A pleasure to meet you."

"You as well." He said, shaking her hand.

"I'm Ruby Rose!" The excitable red head said.

"Yang Xiao Long. I'm her older sister… Different moms." She said at his questioning look. It still didn't answer his question, but he nodded.

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."

Jaune nodded. "Nice to meet you all."

"You don't seem particularly phased to talked to either Pyrrha or myself." Weiss said.

"Should I be?"

"Yes! My father runs the biggest dust distributor in the world and Pyrrha graduated top of her class at Sanctum!"

Jaune blinked, not understanding how that meant anything.

"Pyrrha is a four time consecutive Mistral Regional Tournament champion. A new record!"

"Congratulations." Jaune said to Pyrrha with no change in tone.

"Thank you." She blushed slightly. She wasn't used to people not knowing who she was. It was quite liberating, she decided.

"That's all you have to say?!"

"Should I say more?"

Weiss' face was red in frustration. How could this person not know or not care who they were?!

"Were you raised under a rock?" She asked as he stood and put his weapon on his back.

"A cave."

"What?" She asked, not expecting the reply.

"I was raised in a cave. Partially, anyway." He said before leaving.

"That's a weird dude." Yang said as he left.

Jaune, as well as the other Beacon hopefuls, stood on silver squares atop a cliff over looking a large forest. He was only really half listening as professor Ozpin explained the rules. Get to the end of the forest, grab a relic, get back. Lethal force was necessary. Not that he'd have a problem holding back. What really bothered him was what Glynda had said. You got a partner for the next four years, as well as a team. Your partner was who ever you first made eye contact with upon landing. Wasn't that just swell?

He was shocked from his thoughts as a loud clicking sound came from the other end of the line. He looked up just in time to see several of the others flying through the air. This was going to suck.

Jaune was launched through the skies, flying up at an angle. Barry, the town mechanic that Luke often spent time with, had said that a forty five degree angle was the best way to launch something fast and far. This was just practical use of that tidbit of information. He looked down as he felt himself falling. Most of the others were already beginning to land if they hadn't already landed.

He angled himself as he descended and aimed for a small clearing. He put up an aura barrier and balled himself up as he came toward the top of some trees, smashing through them with ease before bursting into the clearing and landing with a hard roll.

Jaune stood up and dusted himself off. He checked his sword for damage, but found it perfectly fine. The stuff was really strong. Sliding Nox back into place, he began walking north. No point in waiting around for someone to find him. He'd happen upon someone eventually.

"Hello again!" Pyrrha said with a bright smile.

Jaune blinked. It had taken fifteen minutes of walking before anyone had come across him, and of all people it was the red head. Not that he had a preference in teammates at this point. Though that guy in green he'd seen earlier looked like he was rather chill.

"Hi."

"So we're partners now, I guess."

"I guess we are."

"We should keep going. Towards the relic."

"We should." Jaune said as he started walking again.

They were silent for a few minutes. Nothing really happening as they made their way to where they needed to be. Pyrrha, wanting to solve the enigma of a boy who had just become her partner through no small effort of her own, began to talk.

"Were you serious about what you said earlier?"

"About what?"

"The cave thing?"

"Oh. Yes."

"Why did you live in a cave?"

"… That's just where she lived when she took me in."

"She?"

"… My teacher."

"You said mostly. Where did you live before that?"

"A town."

"Why'd you leave?"

Jaune stopped, looking silently at the ground in front of him. Pyrrha noticed the same look in his eyes as when Ruby asked about why he hadn't named his sword.

"I don't want to talk about those things." He finally said before taking off again.

Pyrrha could only infer the worst from his reaction, but decided not to press the issue.

"What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I imagine you must have grown up well off to have won four tournaments before starting an academy."

"Oh. Yes. The Nikos family is one of the more prominent ones in Mistral. I've always had access to the best of weapons and training. It afforded me ample opportunity for fame, as well as a great standing in higher society." Usually people became slightly jealous at hearing this. She knew saying things like that weren't the best way to make friends, but anyone who became upset at something like that wasn't really worth her time.

"Sounds boring."

Boring? Fame and fortune sounded boring? What was with this guy?

"Well, the dinner parties and social gatherings were quite annoying after a while, yes. Many men, and even a few women, would often flirt with me or attempt to get in my good graces. Weiss was the only one I'd met who was going through something similar."

"Social climbers." Jaune said, remembering a lesson in politics.

"Yes. I can't say I'm fond of people trying to use someone to grow their own position."

"I wouldn't think so."

Pyrrha was about to say something else, but Jaune stopped her. He looked around warily and pulled out his weapon, causing her to do the same. She was confused by the odd way he held his blade, with the hilt held in front of his stomach and the large blade pointed back behind him.

A group of beowolves suddenly dropped in to surround them. Pyrrha couldn't help but be surprised. She hadn't even noticed them following them. The only sign anything had been wrong was Jaune.

"Stay close and don't let them separate us." Jaune said, getting a nod from Pyrrha. She didn't have too much experience fighting Grimm, but she did know the basics of each type. Beowolves were fast and liked to move in groups. They would usually overwhelm opponents with their speed.

The four beasts circled the two hunters, sizing up their prey. One smelled of apprehension, but was surely confident in the way it looked ready to fight. The other smelled somewhat familiar. Almost like one of them. There was a deep dark hatred, but it was overshadowed by refusal to let it blossom. This one was the one that worried them slightly.

Jaune was the first to move, dashing at one of the beasts and swinging his sword straight down. The beowolf dodged, and he was set upon by the other. He dodged and sliced deeply into the side of its torso. Not enough to kill, but to definitely hurt the beast.

Pyrrha dodged and blocked the hits that came at her and lashed out with her own well placed strikes. She was nervous about her lack of field experience, but found there was nothing to worry about. She dodged under a slash and stabbed her sword through the monsters throat, killing it. The second beowolf went out in a similar way. She rolled under its strike and stabbed it in the back of the neck, gravity pulling it off her blade. She looked over to find Jaune stabbing a downed and wounded beowolf in the chest.

Stepping away from his kill he set his eyes upon the final attacker. His breathing was steady as he leveled an unreadable look at the beast. Jaune was patient, he could wait for it to move. The beowolf was less patient, deciding he could take advantage of his preys stillness. Pyrrha wanted to scream out when Jaune didn't move as the beast slashed at him, but her voice died as he brought up his left arm in a defensive position and a white aura shield blocked the attack. As quickly as the shield had come, it was gone and Jaune shoulder charged the beast with a powerful step forward, even slamming the pommel into it's stomach as he sent it flying back into a tree. Before the beast could recover, Jaune's sword was through its heart and the tree, sinking all four feet of black metal into what was in front of him.

Pyrrha could only watch with her jaw somewhere on the ground as Jaune pulled his blade from the beast and tree with what seemed like no effort and strapped it to his back. He'd just let a beowolf get close enough to shoulder charge it. That was insanity if she'd ever seen it. And that shield. She'd never seen someone use an aura shield in such a way.

"Let's go." Jaune said.

"What was that? What on Remnant was that?!" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You just shoulder charged a Beowolf into a tree! And what was that unorthodox use of aura?!"

"It's how I was trained." He said simply, walking off, making her move with him or get left behind.

"You were trained to be reckless? What if it had torn through your shield?"

"I was trained to be careful. Nothing can get through my aura shields. At least, I haven't encountered anything that can."

"And the shoulder charge?"

"A counter. I use the shield to block and immediately counter how I see fit."

"What if they try to counter back?"

"Wouldn't work unless they were double my speed. The style takes advantage of the brief period of confusion and shock that takes over when you get countered. I always have a plan after a counter, so moving from point A to point B doesn't take as long as it would if I were trying to decide."

It made sense. Someone who knew what they wanted to do always seemed to move worlds faster than someone who didn't.

"Fine. But that's dangerous."

"Not really. Like I said, it's how I was trained. My… She specialized in counters. It was her semblance, actually. So she trained me in a similar manner because it was all she knew. Turns out the style fit me quite well."

"That's interesting."

Jaune didn't reply, letting them walk in silence again. It bothered Pyrrha a little. It felt awkward to her to just walk in silence. Jaune was fine. He was more used to this than talking. He actually hoped she didn't come up with anymore conversation topics. And she didn't. They reached the temple at the same time as another team.

"Oh, hey, Blondie!" Yang waved as he and Pyrrha stepped out. Jaune just waved.

"Hello, Yang. And you are?" Pyrrha asked.

"Blake Belladonna." The black haired girl said. She had a bow in her hair and sword sitting sideways on the small of her back.

"Jaune." Was all Jaune said.

Blake nodded. She could get behind the conciseness of his reply.

"Chess pieces. And some are missing." Yang said, looking around the temple.

"We're not the first ones here." Pyrrha agreed.

"Let's just grab the relic and get out of here." Blake said.

"How about a cute little pony?!" Yang said, grabbing a white rook.

Blake just shrugged.

"How about a rook? I think it fits you quite well." Pyrrha looked at Jaune, who gave a shrug and slight nod. Pyrrha grabbed the white rook piece and the two groups were getting ready to leave they saw something coming from the trees.

They all got prepared for a fight, and nearly jumped into battle as a Ursa burst past the tree line. But it fell and a pink haired girl in a grey skirt holding a hammer rolled off of it.

"Aw, it's broken!" She said.

A boy in a green shirt with a small tuft of pink hair came from behind the Ursa, breathing heavily.

"Nora!" He yelled. "Never do that again!" He looked up to find her gone.

"I'm the queen of the castle! I'm the queen of the castle! I'm the queen of the castle!" She said happily posing with the white rook she'd picked up.

"NORA!"

"Coming Ren!"

Once again, the group started to move, but Blake saw something falling from the sky.

"Launch me." Jaune said to Nora, who happily obliged.

Jaune flew up into the air and managed to catch Ruby by her hand, but his momentum sent them spinning into a tree.

"Nice save." Yang called.

"I can't believe he just did that." Blake said.

"Jaune?" Ruby asked, overcoming her confusion.

"Hi." He said.

"I can't believe you left me!" Weiss shouted from the sky.

"I said Jump!" Ruby shouted back.

"Hey, is she going to be okay?" Blake asked, looking up into the sky at Weiss holding onto a Nevermore.

"She'll be fine." Ruby called.

"She's going to fall."

"She's falling." Ren said.

"Ruby!" Weiss called angrily.

Jaune sighed and stood up on the tree branch. He waited for the right time before launching himself off the tree. He managed to catch the irritable platinum blonde and land with little damage.

"My hero." Weiss said sarcastically.

Jaune said nothing, dusting himself off instead.

"Well, looks like I need a new nick name for you." Yang said. "You just saved two beautiful damsels without a second thought."

"Jaune is fine." He said.

"Sir Jaune! Fearless knight of Beacon!" Nora shouted.

"Then it's my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Nora." Jaune said.

"You're just going to roll with that?" Yang asked.

"Why not?"

"I think you guys are forgetting we've got a pissed off Nevermore coming after us." Blake said.

A vicious screech tore through the skies as the Nevermore soared overhead, swooping low and firing feathers at them. Everyone prepared to move out of the way, except Jaune of course.

Instead, he raised his hand above him and a large white aura shield covered all of them while the feathers stabbed into it. He dropped the shield and let the feathers fall harmlessly to the ground.

"Yeah, Sir Jaune it is." Yang said.

"That was quite the shield." Ren said.

"Thanks, uh…"

"Lie Ren. Call me Ren."

"Ren. Jaune."

Ren nodded.

"So, how do we get rid of this Nevermore?" Blake asked.

"We could run. Our job was only to get the relics." Ruby suggested.

"Run and live. Good plan." Yang said.

Ruby quickly grabbed a relic and the group took off running.

The plan was not to be as the massive bird continued to chase them.

They ended up at a massive gorge between two cliffs connected by an old stone bridge. Or at least it looked like a bridge now. It was likely the remains of an old suspended temple or something.

The fight between the two groups and the Giant bird was fierce and vicious. Everyone did what they could to stop it and a few of them almost died from falling. Eventually Ruby came up with a plan that allowed her to kill it by dragging it up a mountain with her scythe. With the help of the others of course.

"Oh… I forgot about these things." Ruby said when they came into contact with a rather large group of Beowolves. The ratio was about one to one, so everyone quickly took out their target and continued on their way.

—

The admittance ceremony was quite small. There weren't a lot of first year teams so everything was short and sweet. Ruby was made the leader of her team, consisting of herself, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. Jaune was made the leader of a team consisting of himself, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren. There were a few more, but he didn't really bother to remember them.

It was morning and he had just woken up. Well, it was really early morning, or really late night depending on who you asked. 5:30 was what it said on his clock. He never actually knew what time he got up before, he was never too worried about time living in a forest with nothing to do, just that it was before dawn. But now he didn't have anything to do before the day started. Class didn't start till nine and he didn't have to wake his teammates till seven. That left him an hour and a half of free time.

'Guess I'll go for a walk.' He thought, sliding out of bed. He slid on a pair of pants and shoes and a shirt and left, wandering around campus.

He let his thoughts slip back to his main objective. He'd come to Beacon because he'd needed somewhere to go and he wanted to at least partially fulfill Luke's dream, but he also had business in Vale. This is where he'd heard she was coming. Any clue to finding that amber eyed, cat tailed bitch would be useful. He asked about her at every town he'd gone through and almost every bar tender remembered her because she always caused trouble. She always mentioned coming to Vale for some reason. Whenever he got the chance he'd have to go into town and ask around at bars.

A stream of light in his eyes snapped him out of his thoughts. He was walking for a lot longer than he'd thought. He made his way back to the dorms and showered and dressed in the school uniform before waking up his team.

"Huh? Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

"Time to get up." He said.

"What time is it?" She asked, sitting up with yawn, her long red hair flowing loosely over her shoulders.

"Seven."

"You're already dressed. Quite the early riser aren't you?"

"You could say that." He said bobbing his head to the side.

He moved to Ren and Nora, the former getting up smoothly and the latter having to literally be dragged out of bed by both Jaune and Ren.

"Ugh… My hair is all frizzy." Nora groaned.

"I told you you shouldn't have wet it before bed." Ren said. He'd been dealing with her for years and new how she could be. "You'll just have to let it calm down."

"Come here." Jaune said, sitting on the edge of his bed with a comb in one hand and a spray bottle in another.

"Sir Jaune, you'd offer to do my hair?" Nora asked.

"Why of course, Lady Nora. A knight should have many talents." He said with a faint grin.

Nora sat down in front of him, still a little asleep, while he worked her hair back to it's flat state.

"You're quite good at this." Pyrrha said as she watched him work.

A sad smile crossed his Jaune's face. "I used to have to do it a lot. My teacher was never any good with her hair and I'd learned it from…" He trailed off, his smile fading as he thought about Gwen. She liked having her hair combed and feathers pruned. Usually by others. Jaune was one of the few people she trusted to do it for her, as she had taught him how to do it.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.

"I learned it from a friend of mine." He said as he finished Nora's hair. "You're all done, Lady Nora."

"Why, thank you Sir Jaune!" She said, standing up.

"It's nearly eight. We should head out." Ren suggested.

"We should. Thanks for keeping track of the time, Ren." Jaune said.

Ren nodded.

They made their way to campus and arrived a few minutes early.

—

"Monsters! Demons! Prowlers of the night! Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names, but I simply refer to them as prey!" Professor Port said. The man lived up to his name, being quite round with a large mustache. He was the Grimm studies professor and he was the first class of the day.

He had launched into this long tirade about, likely fictional, exploits from his youth. But Jaune found him interesting. He enjoyed the flair the man had added to his class. Most only saw a boastful old hunter past his prime, but Jaune saw a man trying to make a typically boring subject interesting by creating stories to convey the information he wanted to in an interesting way. It was one of the few times he found himself not tuning out what most people had to say.

After his story he listed off the points he had wanted to make about the traits of a true hunter and asked if any of the students felt they embodied these traits.

Weiss shot her hand in the air. After a short period of waiting for her to get into her battle gear, she fought a boarbatusk. She didn't do bad, but she seemed to have a real problem with Ruby cheering for her. She'd lost her weapon and taken a nasty hit, but recovered and won the fight, thought clearly angry at her team leader.

—

"Does anyone know why night attacks on the Faunus during the great war didn't work? Mr. Arc?" Dr. Oobleck appeared in front of Jaune's seat. The man had long green hair that stood straight up and wore circle, wire rim glasses. His tie was loose and his shirt was hanging out one side. He looked all around disheveled. Not to mention he was always drinking coffee and dashing from one place to another.

Jaune liked the man. He found all the teachers made class really interesting. It was almost enough to distract him from the fact that he hadn't been able to go into town since he'd been there. His name had gotten out relatively quickly as well, but he just explained that was the name on the birth certificate when he'd arrived at the orphanage.

"Night vision." Jaune said. Easy question. Violet had gone over the war in thorough detail. Battle tactics were her favorite subject, and she'd made it his as well. He'd also learned what he could about Faunus in preparation of burying Kara alive.

"Quite correct! The Faunus are well known for having excellent night vision, so they're quite difficult to launch a sneak attack against during the night."

"Thought it was just easier to train animals." Said a large boy with red hair. Cardin Winchester was the leader of Team Cardinal, which Jaune quickly learned to hate. He constantly bullied people, but loved to try to pick on Jaune.

Jaune, of course, met force with force. A shoulder bump from Cardin was met with more force to bounce him back. Cardin had a size advantage on Jaune, so the game had to be played with more power from Jaune's side. Cardin would knock his books from his hands, so Jaune would swipe his legs from under him. Jaune would get checked into a wall and retaliate with an aura shield to slam Cardin into the wall even harder.

Cardin didn't give up, but everyone else learned that Jaune was not one to take shit from anyone.

"What is wrong with you?" Pyrrha asked.

"You have a problem?" Cardin asked.

"Yeah, I'm tired of all your racist remarks!" Pyrrha said.

"Enough. Cardin, I'll be seeing you in detention." Dr. Oobleck said. Cardin groaned while Oobleck moved onto the next question. "Now, can anyone explain why the humans lost so thoroughly using this tactic, despite the Faunus' night vision."

The class was silent for a few seconds. Jaune raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Arc?"

"Their general never learned. He was a novice who couldn't learn from his mistakes. He lost hundreds of soldiers trying the same tactic every few nights and never thought to figure out why or change his tactics. He threw his soldiers at the enemy in waves that were constantly decimated and it ultimately forced him to retreat with less than a quarter of his original forces."

"Quite correct." Oobleck said quickly, and began to ramble on about other important parts of the war.

—

"You knew a lot about the Faunus war." Blake said to Jaune as the two teams walked into the cafeteria.

"History and battle strategy is most of what my teacher focused on. Everything else besides language was mostly an after thought." Jaune explained.

"An… Interesting way to teach someone." Pyrrha said.

"Very unorthodox." Weiss said.

"My entire life is unorthodox." Jaune said.

"That's easy to see." Yang said.

"So, is there anyone you guys want to fight in the battle class?" Nora asked.

"Not really." Ren said.

"I'd like to take a crack at Sir Knight over here." Yang said with a wink.

"It is interesting that he's the only one who hasn't had a fight so far." Weiss said.

"Just lucky, I guess." Jaune said.

"But I'd love to see Nox in action! It's such a big sword I want to see how you'd use it fighting another person!" Ruby said.

"Same way I'd fight Grimm for the most part." He shrugged.

"There has to be a change in battle tactics." Weiss said.

"Come on! Stop, Cardin!" A brown haired bunny Faunus girl shouted out.

"Ha! Look at the freak!" Cardin said, grabbing her ears painfully.

"I hate people like him." Blake glared.

"Someone really needs to teach him a lesson." Pyrrha said.

"Where'd Jaune go?" Yang asked.

"Hey. Stop." Jaune said, getting everyone's attention.

"What was that?" Cardin asked.

"I said stop. Leave her alone. Just don't be an asshole for once in your life."

"Oh, look at the big man! And what are you going to do if I don't?"

"I really don't want to fight you, Cardin. Just leave her alone and we won't have a problem."

"Then I guess we have a problem!" Cardin tried to swing at Jaune, who just dashed forward under the punch, stopping behind Cardin and grabbing his left arm. He stomped on the back of his left leg and grabbed his other arm as he fell, twisting his arms back to hurt him. The rest of team CRDL immediately readied for a fight. Jaune put his foot on Cardin's back to keep leverage. He stared coldly at the three ready to fight.

"Back off or I break both his arms." Jaune said, twisting further and forcing a scream out of Cardin to show he'd do it. They stared from their leader back to Jaune, not backing off. Jaune out more pressure on Cardin's arms, drawing out another scream and small cracking sounds as his muscles tried to loosen to keep from breaking.

"Back off!" Cardin yelled. The three stepped back, hands in the air.

"Good. Cardin, I understand if you're a racist. Lot's of people are. But I will not tolerate blatant shows of torture and harassment. If you're gonna be a racist, fine, keep it to yourself. If not, we're going to have problems. I don't like problems, Cardin. Understood?" Cardin nodded. "Good." He dropped the boy who groaned in pain and relief.

"Thank you…"

"Jaune."

"Jaune. Did you have to be so rough on him?" She was appreciative of the help, but was a bit put off in the way he did so.

"He shouldn't have tried to hit me. Are you okay…?"

"Velvet. I'll be fine in a bit." Her ears where throbbing from the abuse, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle.

"Where's your team?"

"They're all out right now. They usually tend to either skip lunch, make their own, or use the time for something else."

"Do you want to sit with my team?"

"Huh?"

"Do you want to sit with my team? So you're not alone and you have some people to talk to."

"I…" Velvet hesitated. She didn't know what to do about her nearly dead eyed savior. In the end, she accepted. "I accept."

"Then follow me." He said as he started walking.

Velvet quickly got up and followed closely behind him before sitting in the free spot on his left.

"Wow. Very chivalrous of you, Sir Jaune, White Knight of Beacon Academy." Yang teased.

"It was the right thing to do." Jaune said simply as he took a bite of food.

Weiss huffed and looked away, while Blake was in shock at his going out of the way to help a Faunus.

"No ulterior motive?" Blake asked.

"No. She needed help. No one else stepped in."

"Thanks, again." Velvet said.

"No problem."

"You don't think you were a little violent?" Pyrrha asked.

"Maybe. But people like Cardin only understand strength. Either you show them they can be beaten or they run rampant thinking they can do as they please."

"And you're not like that?" Weiss asked.

"I wouldn't be here if I were. Like I said, I don't like problems. I'd prefer to avoid a fight if I can."

"Then why are you here?"

"I ask my self that sometimes…" He gained that distant look in his eyes that made a few of them shiver. "The answer is always 'To kill Grimm'."

The declaration surprised, well, most of them. Most of them were there because they wanted to be protectors of the world. Sure that involved killing Grimm, but there was more to it than that. They weren't so shallow to think everyone wanted to protect the world, people were complicated, but going through school just 'To kill Grimm' was a bit of a shock.

"No other reason?" Pyrrha asked.

"There is another one… But I'm not really ready to talk about it." He took a bite of his sandwich.

"Doubt it's anything worth while. You shouldn't have helped her in the first place. Her refusal to fight back is just natural subservience." Weiss said.

Velvet bristled at this while Blake's bow twitched slightly and she strained to hold back a look of rage.

"Oh, so you're just like Cardin." Jaune narrowed his eyes.

"Please. I'm nothing like that oaf. I'm a Schnee. Far more elegant and graceful."

"You're an arrogant racist who sees themselves above everyone else. Just like I told Cardin, keep it to yourself. No one wants to hear your ignorance."

"How dare you! It's not my fault you can't understand nuanced views. If the Faunus were truly our equals then the White Fang wouldn't have developed into tantrum throwing cry babies."

"That's not nuanced, Weiss, it's overly simplistic. They were denied what they were promised after a war fought for equality. They tried to be peaceful and when it seemed to be making no progress whoever took leadership decided acts of terrorism would be a better way to go about it. I don't excuse the things that are happening, I don't condone them, It's not right, but I understand where it's coming from." Pyrrha said.

Weiss seemed to shut down for a few seconds before she shot a look of disdain at Jaune and stormed off.

"That chick has more problems than I do." Jaune said, mostly to himself. This caused the others to shoot him a quick look of confusion, but let it go.

The two teams walked into combat class, everyone sitting up in the bleachers while Professor Goodwitch stood in the arena.

"Good afternoon class, why don't we get started right away. Mr. Arc, it occurred to me recently that you haven't been up here in the week or so since this class started. Please come down to the arena."

Jaune sighed, but stood up. Of course today would be the day.

"You can do it Jaune." Pyrrha said.

"You got this Sir Jaune! Kick everyones asses!" Nora shouted.

"Good luck." Ren nodded.

Jaune nodded back and stepped down into the arena. Goodwitch almost felt annoyed as he yawned next to her, his tired eyes and far-too-laid-back posture got on her nerves. This was not how a proper huntsman was to present himself.

"Now, would anyone like to volunteer to fight Mr. Arc?"

Cardin was about to raise his hand to get revenge for earlier, but another voice beat him to the punch.

"I would!" Weiss shouted.

"Very well, please come down to the arena Ms. Schnee."

Weiss nearly ran down the the arena as if someone would steal her spot. She stood opposite Jaune and glared at him as he tiredly scratched the back of his head.

"You better take this seriously." Weiss glared.

"You'd die if I did." Jaune replied nonchalantly.

"I'm sure you know the rules by now. The fight goes on until someone gives up or their aura is drained. Begin."

Jaune drew his blade while Weiss watched him do so. Apparently she thought this was going to be some kind of honor duel. She was wrong. It would be a fight and it would be the kind of fight she would look back on in distaste.

Jaune took his stance and Weiss glared again. Pyrrha was immediately intrigued.

"What's wrong?" Ren asked.

"That's not the stance he took in the forest. His sword is held to his chest now, where he had it near his waist before." The red head explained.

"I don't think it'll make that much of a difference." Nora said.

"You'd be surprised, Nora." Ren said.

"Are you finally ready?"

"You could've come at me once she said to start."

"You didn't have your weapon out."

"This is a fight. You should be out to win."

"Spoken like someone with no honor."

"Honor doesn't matter when your life is on the line. An Ursa won't wait for you to draw your weapon and neither will criminals."

"And that's why they're so low."

"We're being trained to fight a war. You don't hesitate. You attack and kill to survive and go home. Whether you do this to protect others or for personal reasons is up to you, but that's the way things are."

Glynda nodded. He was right. They were being trained to fight a war and the kind of things and people they were going to be fighting would do anything in their power to get what they wanted. There was no honor in these situations.

"Fine. Then I guess I'll just have to show you what fighting with honor means." Weiss dashed at him, rapier poised to hit. Jaune easily sidestepped the blow and tripped her. Weiss managed to catch herself, but nearly slammed into the arena wall from her speed. She growled slightly before dashing back at him. She stopped short, jabbing at his face.

Jaune dodged the stabs and slashes. She was a bit faster than him, but not fast enough to not be able counter. He just wanted to get a better feel of her fighting style. He noticed small hesitations every now and then, like she was trying to keep herself locked into a certain style. He narrowed his eyes and took advantage of one of these small openings, kicking her heavily in the stomach. Weiss stumbled back with a cough, the wind nearly knocked out of her, once again allowing Jaune an opening. He slashed at her chest, making her recoil in pain as the blade hit just below her clavicles. Jaune stepped forward and hit her with a downward slash that made her scream from the force of the heavy blade on her shoulder. Her Aura took most of the damage, but she was still bleeding.

Weiss created a glyph under her feet and sent herself flying backward. Jaune didn't pursue her. He felt no need to. He was the patient type and he knew she would be coming to try and take revenge for the blows soon enough. Weiss panted heavily, the heavy hits took a lot out of her, and her Aura was nearly halfway gone from just a few of them. She grimaced, but took a deep breath and composed herself, taking her ready stance.

"You truly fight like a savage." Weiss glared.

"I haven't even begun to approach savage. You're gonna need to get me a lot more riled up before that can happen."

"Oh, you mean like bringing up how you're not even a true Arc?"

Jaune cocked his head to the side slightly. "Ah… Princess Daddy Issues wants to talk shit. Why are you so mad? Did daddy not buy his little princess that pony she wanted when she was six?" Weiss' grip on her weapon tightened. "Or maybe it's that he never gave you enough attention? Is that why you act so haughty? You want daddy to pay attention to you? Or do you just want to find a man to call 'Daddy'?" He saw her grinding her teeth in anger.

"This is getting dangerous." Blake said.

"I want to feel bad for her, but she started it." Yang said.

"Oh! I know what it is! It's the fact that he's not a true Schnee and is running your family name and company into the mud!" Jaune smirked at the roar of rage from Weiss. She stabbed her rapier into the ground, all caution thrown to the wind, and ice began to shoot up towards Jaune. He quirked an eyebrow. He knew she could control ice, but not to this extent. He dodged to the side and still found himself caught in ice. The blast was wide, but he was out of the way of the main danger.

Weiss charged, leaving Jaune no time to break himself free of the ice. For the first time the crowd saw a look of distaste on his face. Some of them thought he was in trouble, while others thought he didn't like getting a taste of his own medicine.

What really was going on was that he would have to make a choice he wasn't sure of. And his feet were getting very cold. As Weiss got closer he chose his first option, free himself after the threat was dealt with.

Weiss aimed for Jaune's chest, leaving him no way to dodge short of falling and leaving himself far more open. What she wasn't expect was for him to block the hit. She couldn't help the look of shock that crossed her face as she suddenly lost track of what was going on. One second she was attacking Jaune for what he'd said, next thing she knew her eyes were squeezed shut and her face and chest hurt.

Just as her attack got close enough Jaune reached forward, a shield of Aura pushing Weiss blade away from him. The blade nicked his shoulder, but nothing beyond that. Weiss was moving too fast to stop, despite her sudden shock, and was treated to a palm right in the center of her chest. She didn't have time to feel the pain as Jaune suddenly yanked her forward and slammed his forehead into her nose, causing her to drop her weapon and stumble back. Jaune took the opportunity to slam his blade down and shatter the ice.

"You know, Weiss," He said as she began to recover, "You were right about there being a tactics change between my fights with Grimm and people. I can't toss a Grimm around like a rag doll. You, on the other hand, don't have the luxury of being too heavy to lift." He dashed forward and delivered another heavy kick to her stomach that caused her to double over. He then leaned back slightly and proceeded to stomp her into the ground. He took a small step back after the stomp and was about to pick her up before Goodwitch called the match.

"Enough! She is nearly in the red and doesn't appear to be able to continue the fight." Glynda said.

"Okay." Jaune put his blade away. "Should I take her to the nurse or something?"

"You would take her to the nurse after that?"

"She gets on my nerves but I don't really hate her. My fighting style is just brutal." Jaune shrugged.

"I don't need your help." Weiss spat as she got up from her very short dirt nap.

"You okay?" His question was met with a harsh glare. "I'll take that as a yes. Still, you should get that cut looked at. Cleaned at least."

"It'll heal soon." She hissed slightly as she touched the wound.

"You should still see the nurse." Glynda said.

"Yes, Ms. Goodwitch."

"But first, your evaluations. Ms. Schnee, you hesitate too much. You spend too much time trying to keep yourself locked into your fighting style that you leave many, many small openings, a few of which Mr. Arc took advantage of. You also allowed yourself to lose your cool, so to speak, far too easily. You began a game of psychological warfare you were not prepared for. I recommend you learn more about your opponent before trying to engage in such things."

"Understood." Weiss said lowly. She couldn't believe she'd been beaten by someone who claimed to be raised in a cave. Her! An Heiress!

"Mr. Arc, you did a good job for the most part. You took advantage of Ms. Schnee's many small openings and turned her attempt at psychological warfare against her. However, this is where you made your mistake. You weren't sure of what she could do and got caught in her ice. You may have handled the situation well, but I recommend you know what your opponent us fully capable of when you do things like that. Other than that, your fighting style, while brutal, is effective and aims to end the match quickly with heavy and powerful attacks. You use counters well and capitalize on the small openings they provide. Overall A very grounded way of fighting which I can respect, despite how you go about using it."

"Thanks?" Jaune wasn't sure what to say to that. Violet rarely gave compliments in any way. She would nod if he had done something perfectly, but other than that she wasn't the most liberal with praise.

"Return to your seats. Mr. Arc I'd like to speak with you after class."

Jaune nodded and moved back to his team.

"You can't really think we're being trained to fight a war." Pyrrha said.

"We are. Fighting the Grimm is basically a never ending war. Sometimes you have to fight other people, since Hunters also tend to act as a police force, but we might as well be in a constant state of war. The Grimm are so ingrained into society that no one really thinks about it, but we're basically inheriting a war humanity has been fighting since the dawn of history." Jaune said.

"I notice you tend to use Hunter instead of Huntress or Huntsman, why is that?" Ren asked.

"My teacher preferred Hunter. It's gender neutral and sounds cooler. I agree with her."

"… It really does, though." Nora said after a few seconds.

Class passed by quickly and the rest of the team decided to wait for Jaune as he spoke to Professor Goodwitch.

"So, Mr. Arc-."

"Please just call me Jaune."

"That would be unprofessional."

"I don't like the name. Jaune is better for me." Jaune glared slightly at the ground.

That reminded her of the night they met. He didn't want to tell her his last name, and she could almost tell why the second he told her. It spoke volumes about him that he'd prefer to just be 'Jaune' than have the power of the Arc name backing him.

"Okay, Jaune," She spoke his name with emphasis, "I think I have a slight idea of your situation based on what I've been told by the headmaster."

Jaune looked disturbed by this for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"He told me you just showed up from nowhere and asked to take the entrance exam, no prior history and just a a birth certificate and a few other papers. Which means you didn't go to a combat school."

"No."

"Then how did you get training?"

"I had…" Jaune paused, looking at the ground.

"I take it something to do with those 'unwanted memories' again."

"Sort of. I was raised by an Ex-Hunter. She trained me from when I was ten."

"I see. Now, as for clothing. I notice you don't seem to have much."

"I only brought enough clothing to last a week or so. Almost half of it was ruined in fights."

"What do you mean?"

"I walked here from where I lived. Ran into a lot of Grimm."

"Where did you live?"

"Southern end of the continent. Shade and Beacon were about equidistant from where I grew up, but I chose to come here."

"Why is that?"

Jaune was silent for a few seconds as he thought over how to answer the question.

"Personal reasons."

"I see. Well, if need be, the school can offer a small bit of money to help you get properly equipped."

"Um…" Jaune thought to all the lien he had. A large backpack full hidden under his bed from time spent gambling his way up to Beacon. "I think I have enough lien to get a decent amount of clothing, as well as some other things. I would appreciate it if you could recommend me a bank. I can't exactly keep that in my room much longer."

"… Jaune, how much money do you have?"

"I haven't counted it. Several hundred thousand lien, most likely."

"And how did you come about so much money?"

"Gambling." He said matter-of-factly. Not like it would hurt him to tell her. She already knew he drank.

"Gambling?"

"I didn't have enough lien to get all the way here, so I had to gamble and do odd jobs to afford the food and supplies I'd need. Apparently I'm very good at card games."

Glynda's eyes turned hard for a second as she said, "We do not condone gambling in such a manner on campus."

"I have no intention of gambling anymore. It was just a way to make money to get here. Now that I'm here there's no point to it."

Glynda was a bit surprised at his statement. It was as if he always had a purpose in mind when he did things.

"Before I go, Ms. Goodwitch, would you be okay with sparring in your free time?"

"Huh?" She was actually floored by the comment.

"I asked if you would spar with me. Like extra training after classes, whenever you're free."

"Why?" She asked cautiously. Several of her students had asked for extra training in the past to use it as an opportunity to try to 'get close' to her.

"I need to stay sharp. I'm sure Pyrrha could be a challenge considering her background, but I need to also test my skills against higher level opponents."

"You don't think Ms. Nikos is higher level than you?"

"Possibly. I doubt by much. Not to undermine her skills, because she is very strong, I just think I'm stronger."

"Arrogance will kill you quickly."

"I don't think I'm being arrogant. It's my honest assessment. If it came down to it, I believe I could beat Pyrrha in a fight."

"Fine. I should be free tomorrow at six. Meet me here."

"Thank you, Ms. Goodwitch." Jaune said as he left the room to find both his and Ruby's team waiting for him.

"Finally." Nora said. "I was getting tired of waiting so long." She droned.

"Sorry. You guys didn't have to wait for me. Now we'll all be late for class."

They all stopped to look at him.

"What?"

"You have a class next?" Yang asked.

"Yeah."

"We all thought you had a free period." Blake said.

"What class is it?" Ren asked.

"Hunting."

"Then why haven't we seen you?" Ruby asked.

"Are you skipping class?" Weiss asked.

"No. I'm in Hunting 400."

"You're in a fourth year class?!" Pyrrha shouted.

"Yeah. I tested out of basically all the survival and tracking classes, first and second year aura training, tactics, and trap making, as well as first year craftsmanship. Mostly any class that has to do with survival and tracking in some shape or form I tested out of. Only reason I'm not in a higher history class is because we mostly focused on war and the strategy and tactics used in them."

Everyone was staring wide eyed with slack jaws as the blond explained all of this. That explained why he only had three or so classes with them instead of a full schedule. He had already finished almost an entire course line of the four core blocks of the curriculum, those being Combat, Rescue, Security, and Hunting, which all broke down into different courses among the years. Jaune had finished almost the entire Hunting course, meaning he was already closest to graduating.

"How?" Weiss raised the question with legitimate confusion.

"I need you guys to follow along close on this one." Jaune said and everyone nodded. "I was raised in a cave. In the middle of the woods. For seven years. The closest town was a seventeen mile walk. I had to hunt for food more often than not." He spoke each word with emphasis making him sound choppy but getting his point across.

"That's… A lot…" Blake said.

"It also explains the scars on your hands." Pyrrha said.

"Yeah. I have a lot of other skills too, though." He checked his watch. "Oh man, I gotta go before they start picking teams. I'll see you guys later!" Jaune rushed off.

"Teams?" Ruby asked.

No one could answer the question and they all ended up late for class.

—

Jaune fell face first on to his bed as he entered his teams room.

"Hello, fearless leader!" Nora shouted.

"Hi, Nora." Jaune said.

Pyrrha and Ruby entered shortly after and Ruby perked up.

"You're back!" She said before rushing off to grab her team.

"What just happened?" Jaune asked.

"We've all been wondering about your skills since you mentioned them." Pyrrha explained.

"Oh."

"We're back! Jaune, explain!" Ruby said excitedly.

"Yes. Please tell us what these 'Other skills' are." Weiss said.

"Well," Jaune sat up, "I had to learn Origami for manual dexterity, guitar and piano for coordination and memorization, Yoga and dance for more coordination and balance, tracking so I could hunt for dinner, survival skills so I knew what to do when out on my own, rope skills and knot tying because it's always good to know how, botany so I could tell the plants apart and didn't accidentally poison myself, and how to skin and slice up animals to cook and use for different things. Also tree felling and lumber cutting and other general survival skills."

"Wow." Yang said.

"My non combat and survival reasoned skills are cooking, sewing, baking, hair care and nails, and general house upkeep and maintenance… I'm also apparently really good at giving massages."

"Oh… Wow…"

"That's a lot of skills for someone our age." Ren said.

"Do I need to repeat the line, Ren?"

"No. Seven years in the woods, I got it." Ren let a faint smile cross his face.

"Good."

"You look kind of tired." Pyrrha noted.

"Professor Vermilion is a slave driver. We were running sieges on human opponents today and it was pretty brutal. Those fourth years hit hard and she was extra hard on me for being late. Though she did give me extra credit since my team was the only one that won both offense and defense under my command. Think I got lucky considering siege warfare is new to me."

"You were running siege warfare for class?" Blake asked.

"Yeah. I think we're going on to guerrilla warfare next. I have to check the syllabus, but I know there was a section on bombardments, though I'm most excited for the sabotage section."

"What kind of class is this?!" Ruby shouted.

"I don't know, but it sounds fun!" Nora shouted.

"It's Hunting 400, general tactics in warfare. You can take specific classes on each of the sections I think, but you don't particularly need to since half of it is covered in some way throughout your time here. Like, we take several sabotage classes as part of our security block." Jaune explained.

"How do you know all this?"

"I read the requirements book a few times over out of boredom."

The girls all face palmed at his answer. Jaune just seemed to become evermore mysterious to them.

"Well, I guess we have our explanation." Ruby said.

"I guess we do. Though it only raises more questions." Yang said.

"I'm done answering questions for the night." Jaune said.

"Then we better get to homework." Weiss said, causing Ruby to whine as she was dragged to their room.

Jaune just smirked at the other teams antics.

"So, tomorrow is Friday. What do you guys want to do after class?" Nora asked.

"I can hang out for a bit, but I have to be somewhere at six." Jaune said.

"What are you doing at six?" Pyrrha asked.

"I have a meeting with professor Goodwitch."

"Ah." She nodded.

"So should we do our homework or relax a bit?"

Nora groaned much like Ruby when homework was the clear winner.

—

Jaune was rather enjoying his meat monstrosity of a lunch when the murmurs and general buzzing of the lunch room quieted at the sound of the doors swinging open. It started back up just as quickly but Jaune never bothered to see who it was despite the reaction, he wasn't really interested.

"Are you Jaune?" He heard a voice from behind him, strong and commanding, but not particularly intimidating.

"The one and only." Jaune turned slightly to see the face of the new woman.

She was dressed in a mocha brown sweater and black jeans with a brown scarf around her neck with a pair of sunglasses and a beret.

"I'm Coco Adel from team CFVY." She said.

"Okay." Jaune said, looking to the side for a second.

"The most popular second year team?" She asked, looking slightly offended he didn't know who she was.

"I don't keep track of such things." Jaune said.

"I'm the leader of Velvet's team." She said, her voice barely hiding her exasperation.

"Oh. Hello. What can I do for you?"

She raised an eyebrow over her glasses.

"Well, I wanted to come and thank you personally for helping Velvet. She's like a little sister to me." Coco leaned over him. Jaune looked to his team who shrugged slightly.

"It was no problem. I was just doing what I thought was right." Jaune said.

"Humble too. Yeah, she was definitely right about you."

"Good things I would hope." Jaune grinned slightly.

"Of course. Still, I think you deserve a reward." She smirked.

"I don't think that's really necessary." Jaune said.

"You're getting a reward, like it or not. How about we go into Vale tomorrow? I'll show you around." She said flirtatiously as she leaned close to Jaune, drawing more eyes.

Yang was almost jealous of the eyes the older girl was drawing without trying. She couldn't pull crowds like that yet.

Jaune seemed to think it over, much to the awe of the boys watching.

"I do need new clothes, and you seem the fashion type."

"You have no idea." Coco smiled.

"Okay. We'll go into town tomorrow and you can help me pick out clothes. Funny how the tables have turned."

Coco laughed. He had a point.

"Right. Well, Mr. Chivalry-."

"Sir Jaune." Nora said with some kind of mock offense.

"Excuse me?"

"He is Sir Jaune, White Knight of Beacon!" Nora said with a mock regal tone.

Coco cocked her head slightly, grin widening.

"Well excuse me. I'll meet you at noon, Sir Jaune."

"Then we're set." He said as they shook hands.

"Wow, look at you, getting a date with one of the hottest girls in school." Yang said.

"I wouldn't say it's a date. But then again I've never been on one, so…" He let the statement hang.

"You've never been on a date?"

"Nope."

"How?!"

"Woods. Seven years."

"Oh… Right… Sorry." She laughed awkwardly.

"It's okay. You just need to remember I don't have a lot of experience in big cities or with any form of dating. Forestry is a breeze, dealing with people is different."

"You deal with us just fine." Ruby said.

"Yeah, you don't seem to have any problems with us." Yang said.

"I mean, I'm not socially inept or anything but I've talked more since coming to Beacon than I have in the last seven years. I just kind of go with the flow and do okay, but I'm not used to most social situations. I've just been winging it this whole time." He shrugged.

"You've been doing pretty damn well for winging it!" Yang said.

"Thanks?" It was phrased as a question and they could tell.

"You aren't used to receiving compliments are you?"

"Nope." Jaune looked down a bit. "We didn't really need to speak to communicate."

"Your teacher?" Pyrrha asked.

Jaune nodded, obviously not fully in the moment.

"Well, I'd certainly like to hear more about her." Ruby said.

"I'm not hungry anymore." Jaune stood up to leave, the others greatly surprised by this reaction.

"He gets like this whenever people are brought up. I'm not sure what happened, but I don't think we should rush him into telling us about it." Pyrrha said as Jaune left.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"During initiation he always hesitated to talk about his teacher. And he said he lived in a town before then, but he wouldn't tell me why he moved. Not to mention when he did Nora's hair on the first day of school he got the same look in his eyes when I asked how he learned as when Ruby asked why he hadn't named his sword."

Ruby shivered. "He looked like Uncle Qrow does sometimes."

"I wonder what could have happened." Nora said.

"Nothing good." Ren said.

—

"Welcome, Jaune. So, do you want to just start? I do need to get a baseline for how good you are." Glynda said as Jaune stepped into the arena.

"Let's just start. But what are the rules?"

"I want you to use your entire tool set, and I won't grab you with my semblance."

"Okay." Jaune took his stance, but Glynda immediately noted the major difference.

Instead of his regular stance with his strong posture and his sword pointed back at chest level, he was in a stance that she supposed was supposed to make him light on his feet with his sword held straight up near his chest, the blade towering over the fight.

"Let's begin."

The second the words left her mouth she found herself having to dodge a barrage of heavy attacks. The onslaught was brutal, but nothing she couldn't handle, though she didn't see many openings. He brought his sword down in a heavy vertical slash, one of his few moves with an opening, and she was about to take advantage of the blank time but he did something she wasn't ready for: Shoulder charged her.

The blonde gasped as she felt her student slam his weight into her and knock her back. She would have fallen had she not been a professional huntress. She blocked his following kick and hit him a few times before sending him stumbling back. She pressed the advantage and hit him a few more times before he could fully recover.

Jaune found himself and blocked a hit. He spun her weapon down affording him a second of freedom to lodge his fist into her stomach. The older blonde coughed slightly at the unexpected blow, but still dodged his follow up.

"Well, it appears I've underestimated you." She said with a slight smile. It always brought her happiness to see good students still trying to get better. She'd seen many who thought they were good enough and stagnated, which either led to them dying in the field or dropping out.

"People have a tendency to do so."

"Which means I have to take you more seriously, Jaune. I hope you're ready."

"Bring it on." He said with a dangerous grin.

—

Jaune was lying on his back breathing heavily. He had several bruises that would probably still hurt tomorrow, but he didn't feel bad. In fact, he felt good if one were to judge by the grin on his face.

Nearby, Glynda was also catching her breath. She was leaned against the wall of the arena near Jaune taking deep measured breaths. She was also sporting a smile as she watched her fellow blond sit up.

"You did extremely well, Jaune. I wasn't expecting that much of a workout."

"And you hit a lot harder than you look like you can. I certainly wasn't expecting a riding crop of all things to feel like a lead pipe."

"I might not use it for close quarters very much, but it still needs to be able to handle it. Still, I'm glad to see a student as good as you still striving for improvement."

"Thank you." He said, actually meaning it.

"You are already very good, I'd say near third year level. There are things you can improve upon, but you should be able to take on pretty much anyone in your grade without too much effort expended on your part. Have you unlocked your semblance?"

"I have. I tend not to use it though. It's extremely lethal to almost everything it comes in contact with. I have a great deal of control over it, and it would probably make me nigh unstoppable, but it requires a lot of aura and I don't want to use it as a crutch. It's my trump card."

"What does your semblance do?"

"Now that, professor, is a secret. I don't really plan on using it at any point, so let's just pretend I don't have one."

"If you say so." She said. Truthfully she was once again surprised with his reasoning. If his semblance truly was as powerful as he said, he could likely be on par with some of the teachers. Yet he refused to use such a powerful tool unless absolutely necessary. He really was an interesting kid. "Jaune, I would like to make these sessions a regular occurrence. Say, twice a week?"

"Sure." He said as he stretched out. "Actually," His tone changed slightly, "I will let you in on a bit of it. The aura shields I make?"

"Yes?"

"That's technically part of my semblance."

"So it's an aural based semblance."

"Yep."

"Interesting. I wonder what it could be."

"Even if you guess right, I'll never tell." Jaune groaned as a few joints popped. He checked his watch and hummed at the time. They'd been at it for two hours. "I should probably get going. Are we meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays?"

"Sounds perfect. Don't be late."

"I wouldn't dream of it. Good night professor."

"Good night, Jaune." She said as he left. "What an interesting kid." She said to herself as she prepared to leave.

—

Jaune was up far too early for a Saturday. At least, that's what most would say. He'd actually slept in by his standards. The sun was actually up when he got out of bed. Seeing as how breakfast was served as early as six, he'd gone down and gotten some food and run into professor Goodwitch.

"Ah. Morning Professor." He said.

"Jaune. Good morning. I wasn't expecting you to be up this early."

"I'm usually up earlier than this."

"Huh. Oh, before I forget, talked to Ozpin yesterday and he said he spoke to the main bank, Kingdoms United, and they are expecting you to stop by sometime today to deposit your money. The headmaster took the liberty of opening an account for you so you just need to deposit the money and set up your online part."

"That's generous of him. I'll have to thank him when I get the chance."

"Indeed. Well, I'll let you get back to your breakfast."

"Bye, professor."

"Good bye, Jaune."

Jaune returned to his room to see Nora and Ren getting out of bed, while Pyrrha was already up.

"Where were you?" Nora asked.

"I got breakfast. Ran into professor Goodwitch and we talked for a bit."

"Is our fearless leader hot for teacher?!" Nora asked scandalously.

Jaune chuckled. "Not gonna happen."

"Getting a crush or acting on it?" Ren asked.

"Either."

"In general or for a teacher?" Nora asked.

"I want to say either."

"You don't sound sure." Pyrrha said.

"I didn't come here with the intent of finding a relationship in any capacity, but things happen." Jaune shrugged.

The others nodded. It was certainly possible, despite intentions. Love just worked like that. They completely missed that he meant relationships in general.

—

Jaune met with Coco at the bullhead bay and she eyed him over. The blonde was dressed in torn jeans (Beowolf scratches, not that she'd know) as well as a black hoodie. And he had a backpack with him for some reason.

Coco herself was dressed in her usual outfit, but a bit more stylish than usual. She was also wearing a chocolate colored lipstick.

"Yeah, you definitely need new clothes. What's that bag for?"

"We have to make a stop at the bank."

"Okay…" She said.

Coco spent the half hour ride trying to get to know Jaune a bit better. He told her the basic stuff, but always steered the conversation away from certain aspects of his past, namely his parents or any real stories that didn't involve just him.

The trip to the bank was… unexpected for Coco to say the least. She'd thought he just had to get cash or something, not that he was depositing an entire backpack full of lien. He took a few thousand out for clothes just in case, but he got his card immediately, which was nice.

"Where'd you even get all that cash?!" Coco asked.

"Gambling." He shrugged.

"You're that good at gambling?!"

"Apparently. Guess I have the perfect poker face."

"Or you're lucky as hell. I should bring you to poker night."

"I'll think about it." Jaune said.

The rest of the day was pretty much as expected. Jaune got a couple bags full of clothes and a few pairs of shoes. Nothing extravagant, but stylish and comfortable, a compromise Coco had tried to argue against. Jaune refused to budge. If it was form vs. Comfort he'd pick comfort every time. He was going to die on that hill and Coco could only relent.

They grabbed dinner before Coco asked to get a drink with him. Much to her surprise he said yes, which landed them at Juniors. They had been drinking and talking for a bit before Jaune got his chance.

"I need to go to the restroom right quick. Don't ditch me, Blondie."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He smiled.

Coco took off and Jaune watched her for a second before signaling the bartender.

"Another one?"

"Actually, I need some information." Jaune slid a few hundred lien across the bar.

"Depends on who it is."

"A Faunus woman by the name of Kara. Golden eyes and black hair. Uses her tail as a belt."

"Hm… Names familiar, but I don't recall seeing her."

Jaune slid a few more lien over.

"Tell you what. I'll keep you posted. Check back in a few weeks and I'll see what I have."

"Got it."

"I'm back!" Coco said.

"Welcome. I was just about to get another drink. Whiskey double, neat." Jaune said.

"Wow. Don't hurt yourself, kid." Junior said, as he made the drink anyway.

"I'm no lightweight." Jaune scoffed.

"Oh, you think you can hold your liquor?"

"I know I can."

"We'll see about that! I'll match you drink for drink!" Coco said.

"You sure you can handle that?"

"I know I can!"

"Fine, fine. Let's do this." Jaune said.

—

Coco stumbled as they walked out of the bullhead, Jaune still supporting her. She really had matched him drink for drink, only difference was he had an insanely high tolerance level. He just couldn't get particularly drunk, even if he wanted it to. He figured it was because he had so much aura it kind of blocked the effects. Either way he was still here with a very drunk Coco holding on to him for dear life.

"Everything is spinning, Jaune." She said, clutching him tightly.

"Come on, I'll get you back to your dorm. Lucky we don't have class tomorrow or you'd be fucked."

"I still can be." She flashed him a wry grin.

"You're way too drunk to even consider."

"You're no fun." She drawled.

"I'm not."

They entered the dorms and Jaune had to figure out where to go. Coco was half asleep and he could barely get a coherent answer out of her.

"I feel sick." She said.

"Told you it was a bad idea." Jaune said.

"Shut up. Where are we?"

"The lobby. I don't know your room number."

"I'm on the fourth. 408."

"Good to know."

Jaune finally knocked on the door to her room and found a veritable mountain of a man standing on the other side.

"Uh, hello." Jaune said.

The man looked to his inebriated leader and shook his head slightly. Jaune took that to mean this wasn't unusual.

"Thank you for bringing her back unharmed. While I'm not surprised she's drunk, she hardly ever gets this bad, and with someone she hardly knows. What happened?"

"She tried to out drink me. I got a double shot and she wanted to match me. Didn't turn out well for her."

"You hardly look drunk at all. What where you drinking?"

"We went through a bottle or two of whiskey. Maybe more."

The man sighed deeply. "I'm not looking forward to the hangover she'll have."

"If it's any consolation, I'm sorry. I didn't think she'd get this bad."

"It's not your fault she can sometimes forget her limits. Thank you for helping two of my teammates. I'm deeply grateful for it."

"You're welcome. Even though it's my fault she's like this."

"Think nothing of it. I'm Yatsuhashi, by the way."

"Jaune."

"I know. Well, good night, Jaune."

"Good night." Jaune said, handing Coco over to Yatsuhashi.

The door closed and Coco stood a bit straighter.

"How'd it go?" A boy with dark skin, red hair, and white eyes asked.

"Perfect. He had a bit of a talk with the bartender, I don't know what about, but I doubt it was me. Even with how drunk I was acting he never tried anything. He's kind of stuffy, but he's a good guy." Coco said.

"Did you really match him drink for drink in whiskey?" Yatsuhashi asked.

"The guy can hold his liquor. Nothing but double shots of whiskey neat and he's not stumbling or slurring. He might even be able to drink you under the table, Yatsu."

"Possibly."

"Is that all that happened?" Velvet asked.

"I learned he's basically rich and he's really good at gambling apparently. There are certain details of his past he just refuses to talk about, but I'm not sure why."

"Can't really fault him for it though." Fox said.

"I can't… I'm going to bed now. I'm going to have such a hangover." Coco sighed.

—

Jaune walked into his room and quickly changed into his pajamas. Someone was in the shower and he figured the others were at dinner. He lied down and let himself drift before the bathroom door opened.

"Jaune."

"Hey Pyrrha." Jaune said.

"How was it?"

"I got clothes, Coco got sloshed."

"Sloshed?"

"Drunk. Really drunk."

"You went out drinking?!"

"Nothing wrong with it. And I'm not drunk."

"But Coco is!"

"Was her idea. Shouldn't have tried to out drink me."

"Jaune."

"It's fine. I'm only a year under the age limit anyway."

"Still, you shouldn't drink so excessively."

"I'm not an alcoholic or anything. I don't even drink that often. I'm telling you, it's fine."

Pyrrha sighed. She knew he'd die on this hill. "Fine. Just tell me if you have plans of going out drinking."

"Why? You want to come next time?"

"No!" She said all too quickly. "But I want to make sure someone knows where you are in case something happens."

Jaune smirked. "Okay."

—

Jaune was bored. A while into school and he still hadn't really found anything to do with his Sundays. The only thing he really did was make breakfast for his team and sometimes RWBY since the cafeteria only did Dinner on Sundays, as most students slept past lunch. Sunday was his rest day for training, and he planned to stick to the schedule he'd set up with Violet. Sunday was for recovery and no training would take place. With this being the case, he couldn't figure out what to do with himself. He'd left all his books at home and…

Books.

He figured he could go to the library, but doubted they'd have anything he'd want to read, which meant he head to find a bookstore. But he hadn't passed any in Vale the day before and didn't want to wander around. Then he remembered a book ninja lived right across the hall. He got dressed in his new clothes and walked across the hall.

He knocked on the door and leaned against the wall while waiting for someone to answer.

"Hello?" Weiss answered the door. "Oh. What do you want?"

"Is Blake here?"

"Huh? Why do you want Blake?"

"Is she here?" Jaune asked again.

Weiss was about to get indignant when Blake came to the door.

"What do you need Jaune?" She asked as blandly as ever.

"Do you want to go to the bookstore with me?"

Both girls jaws hit the floor.

"Does someone have a crush already?" Yang teased.

"You want to go to the bookstore with me?" Blake asked while Yang pouted she was ignored.

"Yes." Jaune said.

"Why?"

"Because I figured you would know of a good bookstore in town. I left all mine back at home."

"You mean your cave." Yang said.

"Yes. I left all my books in the cave. Didn't want to risk damaging any of them."

"Damaging them?" Blake asked.

"On the trip up here."

"Ah. Well, while I'd love to go see what they have I don't think I can afford anything…" She looked down.

"I'll get it for you."

"What?!" She perked up, her bow twitching slightly.

"I'll buy you a book you want. You're doing me a favor showing me to your favorite book store, so it's the least I could do."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's no problem. Not like I don't have the money." He said the last part to himself, but Weiss and Blake still heard him.

"When are you planning on going?"

"Now."

"Oh. Give me a minute."

Jaune nodded and turned away from the door. Weiss stepped out to talk with him.

"Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do." She said harshly.

Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean! You just want to… do things with her!"

"You misunderstand me, Weiss Cream." She turned red in anger and embarrassment at the name. "You have been for a while. You need to understand something," His voice turned dark as he stood to his full height towering over her, "All I want out of this school is strength. Power to protect the things I care about. I don't give any kinds of fucks about getting girls or your stupid social status. It means nothing to me. I'd rather go back to my home town than pretend to suck up to high society ass hats for a singe second." She didn't understand what he meant by that, but was sure it didn't mean anything good. "The kind of power I want isn't political, so fuck all your social bullshit, fuck your family name, fuck your fortune, fuck Pyrrha's championships, fuck 'getting laid', and fuck your haughty attitude. I don't care about any of it. It means less than dirt we walk in. I want to accomplish my goal and maybe fuck back off to my cave. I don't have anything against you personally, Weiss, but you're really starting to try my fucking nerves. So how about you relax and stop being so uptight about everything all the time. Maybe we'll get along at some point."

Weiss was speechless as he leaned back against the wall, completely back to normal. She found she certainly had misunderstood him. But, taking her past into account, who could blame her. Part of the reason she wanted to be with Pyrrha was to avoid getting teamed with the type of people who only wanted to use them. She was never certain about Jaune's motives, he could've been lying about not knowing them, but he'd just made sure she knew he wasn't what she suspected. She huffed slightly and stormed into the room as Blake opened the door.

"I'm read- whoa. What happened to her?"

"We just a had a little chat. Nothing to worry about." Jaune said.

"Okay… Let's go."

Much to the relief of both parties the trip to Vale was silent. Neither spoke a word to the other as they traveled and neither made any move to do so. The walk to the bookstore was much the same. As they turned onto the back street that had the store, as well as a few odd shops, Jaune noticed the sign.

"Fables and Fairy Tales." He said.

"They have more than that." Blake said.

"Just not the name I was expecting." He said as they walked in.

Both took a deep breath as the smell of books and coffee overcame them. June noticed there were bean bags scattered around the open areas and a sign that said for people to relax and read. He could see why Blake liked this place. It had a nice relaxing atmosphere.

"Do you know what you want?" She asked.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure if they'll have them."

"Just go look. I'll find you when I find the book I want."

"Okay."

Jaune got lucky. They had all the books he was looking for. He'd picked all his favorite books, and even one he didn't know about just to read it. Blake stopped in surprise when she saw the stack of books he had, but she was even more surprised to see him in the dark fantasy section.

"You got everything you want?" She asked.

"Yup. They had everything. I'm a little surprised."

"What did you get?"

"Just a few of my favorites. Not Ready to Die, Soldier's Dance, Village of Whispers, A Hero's Fall, I even found the sequel to that A Demon's Rise. I also picked up something I've never read before, The Misadventures of Albion. But I was most surprised to see my most favorite The Beast Inside."

"… There are several things I want to say, but I'm going to ask why The Beast Inside is your favorite."

"Lot's of reasons, really. It was a favorite of my teacher as well. I rarely ever heard her voice, but sometimes she would read it to me. So not only is it a good story, but it reminds me of her."

"What's it about?"

"It's about a small band of mercenaries that turn out to be pivotal for their countries war efforts in a centuries long war. It focuses on the leader and his relationship with his group and most specifically his second in command. The leader is charismatic and beautiful, but you can tell something is off about him. The Second is more stable but an absolute mad man on the field, described as a blender when in the heat of battle. The captain is ambitious and came from nothing. He wants to be a king, the greatest to ever live, while the second has no real goal other than survival. The conflict is character driven and comes to a head when the second decides to leave and do some soul searching, as the captain had mentioned before he could never respect someone without their own convictions, which in turn sends the captain down a path of self destruction. This all comes to a head when the captain comes into something that could grant his ambition and more, but at the cost of everything he's built. It's a story about the lengths some people will go to accomplish their goals, even at the cost of their humanity."

"Does he take it?"

"Do you want me to tell you or do you want to read it?"

"I don't think knowing the ending of a story makes you enjoy the ride any less."

"He does. He sacrifices all of them and becomes both more and less than human and does some very unspeakable things. Only the second survives. The final battle takes up an entire chapter and it's pretty epic. The two end up killing one another in the end."

"Sounds dark."

"It is. I tend to gravitate towards darker stories. They all revolve around peoples choices. There's no destiny or prophecies or certainty the heroes win. The heroes are hardly even that. It's about the choices the characters make and how they react to the world around them. I've read my fair share of stories where the villain outright wins. Some of them are good, some aren't, but they're interesting. A Heroes Fall demonstrates this perfectly. A hero is at the height of his glory, but a betrayal leads him down a dark path. He has every opportunity to do things better. He doesn't. He follows his path of vengeance with a single minded determination, not caring what destruction he leaves or what punishment awaits."

"What about The Misadventures of Albion?"

"Says on the back it's a parody/deconstruction of the Cosmic Horror genre."

"Cosmic Horror?"

"It's a genre of horror that focuses on the futility and insignificance of man in the grand scheme of the universe."

"Oh… I really wasn't expecting this of you."

"Really?"

"I thought you'd like stories of heroes and conquest. Saving the damsel in distress and slaying the demon lord."

"I did kind of like those as a kid. I think I just gravitated to the darker side of it after a while. I do enjoy a good mystery every so often though. What did you get?"

Blake turns red at the question. She looks away slightly and hands it to him since he was paying for it.

"Ninjas of Love. Oh, I know this series. I read the first one a few years a go. I wasn't really into it. If we're talking romance books I prefer the Nocturnal series." He said blandly.

Blake's eyes went wide. She was shocked with how deadpan his voice was in his admittance of having read her favorite book, but more than that, he admitted to liking a romance series. One she also enjoyed. She liked the Ninjas of Love series more for lots of reasons, but Nocturnal was a close second due to it dealing with love between a human and a Faunus and how it was handled.

"You like the Nocturnal books?!" She gasped.

"Yeah. Tragic but strong love. Society isn't very accepting of such a thing, but they still do their best, even with so many people out for their heads." Jaune said as he paid for the books, the clerk looking incredibly confused by the purchases and their conversation. They started moving toward the cafe.

"I know! It's kind of inspiring!" Blake said, stars in her eyes.

"Speaking of, are you going to be friends with Velvet?" Jaune asked as they ordered drinks. Before sitting down.

Blake stopped. "W-what do you m-mean, Jaune?"

"I'm not blind, Blake. It's not hard to tell you're a Faunus. I'm a bit surprised no one else sees it."

She immediately became defensive. "Jaune, don't-."

"I'm not going to tell anyone. You obviously want to keep it a secret. And it doesn't change anything between us. You're still you, cat ears or no. I was just saying that having Velvet there for support could be good for you since she's been here longer."

Blake relaxed a bit. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I have nothing against Faunus. People who can't see that you're a person are idiots."

Blake took a second to absorb this. "Would you date a Faunus girl?"

"If you're asking me to date you, I'm not looking for a relationship."

"No!" She shouted as she shot up from her seat, bright red. She took a deep breath and sat back down, ignoring the eyes on them. "I mean, no, I'm not really looking to date either."

"The answer to both is yes." He smirked.

Blake was red again. He admitted he found her attractive. Not that she wanted to date, but still. "I just meant in general…" She looked down.

"Jaune, Blake, order up!" The Barista called.

"I know you did. But it was funny." Jaune said.

Blake sighed, calming down. "Would you date Velvet?"

Jaune nodded his head from side to side, thinking over his answer. "She is pretty cute. Yeah, I would. Which brings me back to my original question."

"I think Velvet needs the support."

"According to Coco she's actually really strong. She doesn't fight Cardin because he'd either pick a new target, intensify, or come to hate the Faunus more. I guess I kind of ruined her strategy, but I'm not usually one to stand by and let things happen."

"… I can see where she's coming from. But that kind of attitude is why the White Fang have gotten so extreme recently."

"Have they?"

"You haven't heard?"

"I know why they were founded, but I don't check into their activities."

"Jaune, how long ago was it that you left your cave?"

"Well, the trip up here took about a month. Including school, it's been about four months. Maybe five."

"Oh… So you've never really been in a big city before now."

"Nope. I was a little overwhelmed when I first got to Vale, but I adapt quickly."

"I can tell."

The two continued to talk until they noticed it was well past noon. They decided to grab a bite to eat before heading back up to Beacon. The ride back was much more talkative, both giving their opinions on books recommending things.

"I had fun. Do you want to come with me next time I go?" Blake asked.

"Sure. Sundays work best for me since I'm not doing anything."

"I'll keep that in mind." She said before they both slipped into their rooms.

"What was that about?" Nora asked.

"Turns out Blake and I have a bit in common." Jaune said, sitting his books on the nightstand.

"Books?" Ren asked.

"Books." Jaune nodded as he walked into the bathroom.

"What do you read, Sir Jaune?!" Nora dashed over to his bag.

"Dark Fantasy mostly." Jaune called.

"This doesn't seem like dark fantasy." Nora said, looking at the black book she pulled from the bag.

"Huh?" Jaune asked as he walked over to her. "Oh. That's not mine." He pulled his books from the bag and took the black one from Nora and dropped it in the bag. "I'll be right back." He said before going across the hall.

"Yeah?" Yang asked when she answered the door.

"I forgot to give Blake her book." He raised the bag.

Yang reached for it but a black blur shot in front of her and grabbed the bag.

"Thanks." She said before dashing away.

"No problem." He said.

Yang quirked an eyebrow but shook her head and walked away.

—

It was time for group training, one of the few classes where there wasn't a professor around. The students didn't really get a grade so much as they showed improvement in their main combat class due to peer study and review.

Teams JNPR and RWBY always reserved the same room and trained together. Typically partners would spar together. Which meant Jaune and Pyrrha, Ren and Nora, Ruby and Weiss, and Blake and Yang. Each set had a different way of sparring. At least when it came to team JNPR.

Jaune and Pyrrha didn't so much as fight to win as much as they were two people trying to learn and teach one another. Pyrrha had learned very quickly that Jaune was very good. By her account, maybe as good as her. This lead to them trying to sure up one another's few weaknesses in battle.

Ren and Nora was… hectic. Ren often lost, but if he managed to get Nora to try a new strategy he counted it as a win.

Ruby and Weiss seemed to be doing a bit better in their relationship and while they definitely tried their hardest neither was too upset to lose, though Weiss had a tendency to get huffy when she did.

Blake and Yang were of very equal skill levels, so the fights were more them trying to coax the other into traps or taking advantage of mistakes.

It was very easy to fall into this pattern after months in school, so Jaune proposed they switched things up every once in a while. The others agreed, since they would need experience against other styles.

Pyrrha had partnered with Weiss, Ruby got Ren, and Nora fought Blake, which left Yang with Jaune, who had specifically requested to fight her.

"I don't see why you want to fight me." Yang had said.

"I need practical experience in hand to hand. I learned everything from books and my teacher wasn't the type for it." Jaune explained.

Which led into the current situation, Jaune and Yang stretching in the arena while the others waited for the match to start.

"Will you two start already?!" Weiss called.

"Yeah, Xiao Long are you gonna take?!" Yang and Jaune asked at the same time, Yang laughing and Jaune smirking while the others groaned.

"Seriously though you can't think you're going to win." Yang said.

"It's a learning experience." Jaune said.

"Alright then. Let's go!"

The two dashed at each other, both throwing a right punch. They met in the middle, Jaune catching Yang's punch, while she had moved her head to dodge his.

They both smirked.

Yang started to try something but Jaune stopped that. He pulled her right arm forward to throw her off balance and thrust his right forearm into her face. It didn't do much damage, but allowed him to disengage a bit.

"Not bad. That was an interesting move."

"I needed to get back. It was the best choice." Jaune said.

"Yeah. Let' see how you deal with this!" Yang dashed forward, throwing a flurry of punches.

Jaune dodged as best as he could, but still took a few hits. Even if they weren't dead on, they hurt. Jaune was patient and bid hid time until he found an opening. There weren't many, and fewer he was capable of capitalizing on. But when he found one he took it. Yang threw a hay maker and Jaune ducked it, dashing under it and catching her in the stomach. He pushed the advantage and landed a few good hits before she recovered and grabbed him, flipping him into the air and slamming him into the ground.

Jaune grinned as Yang tried to come down with a stomp. He rolled away and stood, dashing back a few steps.

"I guess I have to change styles a bit." Jaune said, sliding down into a stance. His hands were open like claws and his right hand was stretched forward slightly crossing his body while the left was across his chest held next to his right cheek.

Blake gasped.

"What's wrong?" Pyrrha asked.

"That's a Faunus style." She said.

"Interesting." Yang said. "Let's see what you can do now."

She dashed at him again, ready to attack. Once she was in range, Jaune's grin widened. He twisted his arms and caught her arm, twisting it. Yang gasped and ripped her hand back. There were a few angry red marks twisting down her arm.

"What was that?!"

"From what I understand, that attack is supposed to be able to tear off or at least dislocate an arm if done correctly. Not only did I not do it right, you pulled your arm back." Jaune explained.

"That's brutal! Teach it to me!" Yang shouted, her love of all things close combat taking over for a second.

"Maybe later." He said before dashing at her.

Yang had a harder time dealing with him now. His attacks were more free form and harder to predict. Plus, he was able to change the direction of an attack in a split second to avoid being blocked or countered. Her opportunity came when he missed a palm strike to the face, slightly overextending.

Yang smirked at him. "I've got you now!" She tried to punch him in his side but he managed to duck and suddenly the world was upside down. She saw Jaune come into view and moved her arms to block. She couldn't help but grunt as she felt a quick rapid fire slew of punches hit her arms. It stopped for maybe half a second before a strong punch finally sent her slamming into the ground. Expecting a follow up kick, she moved away the best she could.

"How'd you do that?!" She asked.

"Swept your legs. The punches were just pure speed."

"I don't know where you get these techniques, but they're really cool." She smirked. Her vision was straight again so she'd stalled long enough.

She dashed at him and he dashed too. Once again they threw the same punch. This time, Jaune didn't catch it. He dodged with his left arm blocking hers. Yang didn't have a hand up to defend. Instead she was about to retaliate with a hard left. This lack of defense earned her a hammer fist to the jaw. The force of the blow caused her to turn away and before she could recover she caught a leg to the stomach.

She coughed, but regained herself. Jaune was in a different stance. One that she assumed was for kicking based on the way it seemed to offer easy movement of the legs. She smirked. If that was gonna be his game…

She dashed forward faster than before, stunning Jaune long enough to deliver a powerful barrage of blows. Jaune recovered quickly and made a small bit of distance. Then, he slid forward and kicked at her. The kicks were a bit too fast to catch, so she had to block them. Then, he suddenly switched legs, bringing his left down in an axe kick. She stepped back, dodging the blow, and giving him a blow to the stomach for his troubles.

Jaune stumbled back, hand over his stomach. That one had a lot of force behind it. He recovered in time to see her about to hit him. He leaned back and shot his leg out, planting a foot in her stomach while her punch sailed over him. He straightened and kicked her in the face. She turned but faced him in time to catch the first few kicks of the same attack he'd tried before. She blocked after the first few hit. Just like last time he switched legs in what looked to be an axe kick.

Expecting this, Yang prepared to catch the attack and punish him harder than before. She wasn't ready for him to turn and bring his leg down into her waist. She stumbled slightly and managed to dodge his follow up. The two stood till for a few seconds. Jaune dashed at her and she returned it. They met in the middle. Both had dodged slightly with an arm blocking to prevent a counter. Both were breathing a bit heavily with grins on their faces.

"Tie?" She asked, glancing at the aura meters showing them both being near the red.

"Tie." Jaune said.

Once the spars finished everyone sat down to discuss and critique the fights. Since Yang and Jaune went last, they were the last ones to go in this as well. Since Yang and Ren were the only ones well versed in hand to hand everyone else just had questions.

"I have to say, that was a pretty good fight. I didn't expect to tie. And you severely under played your skills." Yang said.

"Indeed. You did a lot better than I was expecting considering what you said about yourself."

"There were a few openings that I saw but didn't take advantage of because I wanted to see where this would go. In straight fist fights you did the worst. You overextended often and your defense wasn't very good. You were stiff and didn't move the way you should have. It was like you said, learned out of a book. Considering that, it wasn't half bad. How did you manage to get to that level without a proper teacher."

"As you saw, I adapt well." Jaune said.

"You sure do. Your second style you seemed the most comfortable in." She said.

"What was that anyway?" Ruby asked.

"It was a variation of Neko-te, a Faunus fighting style developed for use with elongated nails and harder grip strength." Blake said.

"Why'd you learn something like that?" Weiss asked.

A few of them struggled not to roll their eyes. Weiss was haughty but not entirely unbearable. Unless you brought up race. Then she was like a southern uncle on Thanksgiving after a few too many beers. That is to say, it made everyone want to shoot her off into a different country.

"Because I like to learn. It seemed interesting and I tried it out. Turns out I'm good at it." Jaune explained.

"Very good. Your movements were quick and very hard to predict. Your affinity for it may be because it's a more adaptable style. There's only so many ways you can punch someone, but the movements of that style flow like water, which is a key point in martial arts." Ren said.

"And your kicking style was interesting. You really got me with that heel drop turned mid kick. I've never seen anyone do something like that. And the combo that comes before is devastating. You kick really hard." Yang said.

"And you punch like a truck. You saw the heel drop coming the second time and tried to catch it which allowed me to switch it. If you had moved back I would have ducked into a crouch to avoid that right straight of yours."

"What was that clash thing about though?" Nora asked.

"It was a gauge. To see where we were in the fight I guess. It was different every time we did it." Yang explained.

"Yeah. The first time was just a clash, but the second time I wanted to see how she'd handle it. I did something different, not wanting to drain aura from catching her punch again. She dodged but didn't block which earned her a hammer fist to the side of the face. The final time she adapted and blocked it to prevent a follow up." Jaune explained.

"You're all about adaptability." Blake said.

"Of course. If you can't adapt to a new situation than you have no hope of progressing. It's all about strategic thinking and imagination. The imagination is a weapon and if you don't use it you're doomed to fail."

"What about Atlas? They've banned pretty much all forms of the arts." Pyrrha asked.

"They're imaginative in the most boring way. If they weren't they wouldn't be the most technologically advanced kingdom on the planet."

"I can see that. They channel their creativity into something besides art. Interesting." Blake said.

They continued to discuss for a bit longer before everyone headed out.

—

Jaune snapped awake in bed. Another nightmare. He'd been having them a lot more lately. He glanced at his scroll to see it was three in the morning. Unfortunate. He wasn't going back to sleep. He sighed and got up, slipping on a set of clothes before leaving, unaware of a pair of emerald eyes watching him go.

Jaune ended up where he always did, the training rooms. He spent the time basically destroying bots and running simulations. It was in the midst of slamming his sword through a downed bots chest that he heard a voice call out to him.

"Good morning, Jaune." Ozpin said, taking a sip of coffee.

"Oh… Good morning headmaster." Jaune said awkwardly, pulling his sword from the robot.

"I see you're taking full advantage of our facilities here."

"Uh… Yeah."

"Don't you think you should be sleeping though? It is nearly five in the morning."

"Shouldn't you?"

"Please. I have too much work to be sleeping at this hour. Not to mention, do you have any idea how much coffee I drink? Between me and Dr. Oobleck nearly ten percent of this schools budget goes just to coffee. Though Dr. Oobleck drinks far more than I do. I think he sees everything in slow motion."

"I wouldn't be surprised. Isn't ten percent a lot of money for just coffee?"

"Not if you want the good stuff." Ozpin took a sip of coffee.

"I see."

"So, Jaune, can I ask why you're here so early destroying school property?"

Jaune stood silently for a second. "We're not allowed to break these?" Jaune asked, legitimately surprised.

"No, Jaune, you're not. But the other question. Why are you here?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"Yes. You seem to come in here very often around this time. You were actually early today."

"You were watching me?"

"There are cameras."

"Oh."

"Jaune, you seem like a promising future huntsman, but something seems to be plaguing you. Could you tell me what that is?"

Jaune was silent for a few seconds. "Have a match with me."

"What?"

"Have a match with me. I want to test myself against the best. Being headmaster, you have to be. I would like to spar. I'll tell you my story after."

"Very well then." Ozpin put his coffee down and entered the arena.

"Are the cameras off?"

"Why?"

"I have a feeling I'll need to use my semblance, and I don't want it on camera. I'd prefer it be as little known as possible."

"Very well then." Ozpin pulled out his scroll and deactivated the cameras. "Now, shall we begin?"

"Yes." Jaune drew raised his sword and dashed at Ozpin.

—

Jaune was lying on the floor panting heavily, a madman grin smile on his face as he stared up at the ceiling.

"I must say, Jaune, that was quite the performance. You did very well. And your semblance… It's a sight to behold. Glynda said you only wanted to use it as a trump card, and now I understand why. I've seen many destructive semblances, but that definitely takes the cake." Ozpin sat up straight. "Now, come tell me your story."

Jaune's grin was gone in an instant, but he complied with the request. He sat next to Ozpin on the bench but didn't look at him, instead focusing on the floor.

"Do you happen to have a flask on you?"

"I do not. What makes you think I'd let you have some if I did?"

"Worth a shot. I don't like telling this story sober… I used to live in a village on the southern end of the continent called Carthus." Jaune started.

It was nearly half an hour later and the two men sat in silence.

"That… is certainly quite a lot." Ozpin said.

"Yeah… It's… Not something I like talking about."

"Jaune, have you ever thought about what you're going to do after you accomplish your revenge? After you complete your goal? What next?"

"I was planning to go home. I've never needed a goal to live. I like to simply be more often than not. I've grown up without a real goal other than to live and survive. I was going to be a baker before my village was wiped. I was trained so I could take care of myself when it came time for me to live on my own, but my teacher knew I had no real interest in leaving. I'm not sure she really wanted me to either. We were happy to remain the way we were, an oft silent little family. What was there for me if I left? I had no desire to take revenge against the Grimm. It's a fools goal. To wage a one man war on a force of nature is just plain idiocy. I was planning to just go home and live like I had been… But…"

"But you've started to develop bonds."

"I think so. But I'm…"

"Hesitant to step back into that pool. Your wound is still fresh. You've only ever lost people and you're afraid of losing anyone else you get close to."

"… Yeah…"

"Then I take it you haven't told your team."

"No."

"I think you should. It would be a good first step in trying to regain some of what you lost."

"You think so?"

"I do. You're distant because of what happened in the past. Scared of losing someone else. You don't want to let them in for fear that they'll leave you or won't accept you. I think Ms. Nikos is already on to you. You don't have to drop it all on them at once, but start somewhere, Jaune. You're not just hurting yourself in your pursuit of vengeance, you're hurting your team." Ozpin stood to leave.

"Wait!" Jaune said more forcefully than he meant to.

"Yes?"

"I wanted to thank you for setting me up with a bank account. I wouldn't have been able to do it alone."

"It's no problem, Jaune. While it's not usually in my nature or job to do so, I had a feeling you would have had some trouble with it."

And with that, Ozpin left the room to leave Jaune to think. Jaune left soon after to shower before class started.

—

Jaune and Pyrrha were standing on the roof of the school after dinner. The sky was dark and the two were silent. Pyrrha had asked to speak with him alone, but now she wasn't quite sure what to say or where to start, leaving the two standing on the roof, Pyrrha shifting awkwardly while Jaune stood comfortably staring up at the night sky.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha finally started, "I asked to speak with you because I want to know… Where do you go at night? Why are you up so early?"

Jaune looked at Pyrrha, a mix of worry and fear in her face. He thought to the conversation he'd had with Ozpin that morning. The old mans words were staring him right in the face. Pyrrha was very obviously worried about him and now he had a choice.

Jaune sighed. He took a deep breath and sighed again.

"Pyrrha, I'm not… Entirely whole." He said, not looking at her.

"What does that mean?"

"I've lost pieces of myself. There were five people that I cared for very much in my life. I loved each and every one of them and they were ripped away from me, taking a piece of me with them."

"Jaune…"

"My parents didn't find me on their doorstep and I wasn't picked from an orphanage. I was found in the fucking woods near my hometown, bundled up in a basket with nothing but a birth certificate and a bit of money for whoever found me. I was adopted by the town bakers who had always wanted children, but couldn't have any. I had… I had two best friends, a boy by the name of Luke who wanted nothing more than to be a hero. He would always tell us stories about how he was going to be the best huntsman in the world and get rid of Grimm forever. He would always tell us outlandish tales about what he'd do in the future and they fights he would have. It was his dream to come to Beacon." Jaune couldn't help letting a small smile cross his face as he spoke. "The second was a Faunus girl named Gwen. She was beautiful. The first girl I'd ever had a crush on. And the last. She had amazing white hair and she only trusted me and her parents to take care of it and her feathers. She's where I learned to do hair."

"What happened?" Pyrrha asked, moving closer to him.

"What happens to every village eventually. They were attacked by Grimm. It was… About half a year after my tenth birthday. The village was overrun with Grimm. I searched for my friends and family, but only found my mother. She…" Jaune's voice cracked as he tried to hold back tears. "She was trapped under a beam that had fallen from our burning house. She told me to run. I didn't want to leave her, but she told me to run and live. And I did. I ran until I couldn't and slept in a hollowed out tree. When I went back the next morning… I found everyone. Luke was ripped in half." Pyrrha gasped. "He'd tried to help in the fight and a Grimm tore him in half. I found his Torso leaned up against a building thirty feet from his legs. Gwen had deep claw marks in her stomach and chest and her white hair and feathers stained red. I found mom in the same place I'd left her. Only dad was with her, his torso torn open by long claw marks. He was holding moms hand. I made them each a grave. I didn't have the strength of body or heart to move them, so I just made headstones carved from wood and made honorary ones. Then I left. I spent two weeks living in that hole in that tree I found. I slept maybe one to four hours a day."

"Jaune… I…" She didn't know what to say. It was a bit off putting to see her leader like this. The usually strong and slightly cold teen that almost seemed to breathe power was on the verge of tears. She did the only thing she could think of and pulled him into a tight hug.

Jaune hugged her back, finding comfort in the gesture. He hadn't been hugged in a long time. When he finally calmed down he continued the story.

"It was a few days into my third week in the woods that my teacher found me. A woman by the name of Violet who, funny enough, had purple hair. She didn't speak much, and for a while I wasn't in the mood. When I finally spoke, so did she. After that she began training me. We ate and slept together for a few years. Until I was twelve. I didn't want to sleep on my own after what had happened. Sometimes she would read to me. Every day for the past seven years we had a schedule we kept to help train me. Until a few months ago." Pyrrha gasped again. "We were enjoying a quiet Sunday when some chick called out to her from outside the cave. A Faunus woman named Kara. Violet told me to hide while she fought Kara. She was killed that day. Her last words were an apology she wouldn't be there for me anymore. We'd become family."

Pyrrha understood now why Jaune got so distant when he thought of his teacher. The wound was still fresh. If it was a natural death or an accident, he wouldn't be like he is.

"And that bitch took her from me. The last bit of family I had left. She killed her and I intend to repay the favor." Jaune seethed.

Suddenly Pyrrha understood. He wasn't here just as a result of her death. He was out for revenge.

"You came here for revenge." She stated.

"Not entirely. I came to Beacon partly because this is where Luke wanted to come. It was more luck that that bitch Kara was coming up this way. I'm not going to lie to you Pyrrha, I'm going to kill her. I'm going to rip her to shreds and nothing will stand in the way of me accomplishing that goal. I'm not going to stand here and pretend vengeance is a noble act, because it's not. It's poisonous. But if I have a chance to make her pay, I will. Can you still say you accept me after this?" Jaune faced her, his face shadowed and the moon casting an eerie glow around him and his ice blue eyes seemed to piece her very soul.

Pyrrha felt an emotion she'd never felt before: Terror.

She'd been scared before, of course, but looking at her leader, who only moments earlier was on the verge of tears, who she admired, reveal such raw and unhinged hatred was nothing less than terrifying. She realized her breathing was jagged and uneven like she'd been crying. She took a deep breath and breathed out slowly.

"Yes."

The answer seemed to almost surprise Jaune.

"Are you sure? Knowing you could get dragged into my fight at any moment?"

"Yes! I care for you Jaune! All of us do! Me, Nora, Ren, Ruby, even Yang and Blake!" It wasn't lost on either of them that she excluded Weiss from that. The white haired girl barely seemed to care for her own team. "We care for you and it worries us the way you are. You never want to let any of us in. Now I know why. We aren't going to leave you Jaune! We won't die on you and leave you here to grieve us! We're here to help you and if you let us, we'll help you through this." Pyrrha said, her emerald eyes brighter with the tears that threaten to fall from them.

Jaune was silent as he looked over his partner. He sighed and scratched his head.

"I have trouble sleeping. I get nightmares so I leave to go train. It helps relieve the stress and frustration." Jaune revealed.

Pyrrha let out a sigh, happy he was finally willing to answer her original questions.

"Would it help if I slept with you?" She asked, mostly trying to tease him about his sleeping with his teacher for two years, but she lit up almost as bright as her hair when she realized what she'd said.

Jaune turned to her slightly with a smirk. "I don't know, Pyr, I'm not sure you can handle me."

His smirk only grew into a smile as she turned a brighter red.

"I'm going back to the room!" She said quickly, almost squeaking as she ran off.

Jaune took a look up at the sky for a few moments before following after his partner, none the wiser that Cardin Winchester had heard the entire conversation.

When Jaune returned to the room he found Pyrrha with her face buried in her pillow and an excited Nora trying to prod out what happened.

"AH! Sir Jaune! I would request that you explain was has our spartan so flustered." Nora said.

Jaune gave her a weak smirk as he walked over to her and put a hand on her head.

"We're about to have a serious moment here, Nora." He told her.

The girl immediately calmed down. Her smile dropped and she looked at him with a bit of worry mixed with curiosity. He never did this before.

"What's wrong?" Ren asked from his bed.

"We're going to have a team meeting. Pyrrha asked me about where I go at night." Jaune said.

"I also wondered about that." Ren said.

"I told her. That's what this meeting is about." Jaune sat on his bed and began to explain his story. When he was done, Nora was latched onto him, crying into his shirt.

"Nora, you don't have to cry for me." He said, patting her on the head.

"But it's so sad!"

"Yes, but I'm learning… Trying to heal. Ozpin said the first step to that was opening up to all of you. And I plan to do so more than this."

Ren nodded. "There's more you're not telling us."

Jaune gave the boy a sad smile.

"You're sharper than your weapon, Ren. There is some stuff I'm not telling you, but I'm not ready or drunk enough to tell you about that. Maybe you can coax it out of me next time Coco and I go out drinking."

"Oh! Can I come?!" Nora asked.

"NO!" Ren and Jaune yelled. They'd seen what sugar could do to the girl and didn't want to see her actually drunk.

She gave them the best pair of puppy dog eyes she could.

"Okay, maybe if you don't drink." Jaune relented.

"Nothing alcoholic at all in any form." Ren specified, knowing someone would give her some sweet drink with alcohol in it.

"Okay!" She said.

"You two spoil her." Pyrrha said.

"It's hard to say no." They said.

"Jaune, I want to grab a book from the library. Would you come with me?" Ren asked.

"Sure." Jaune stood up and followed him out, Pyrrha having to keep a whining Nora from following after the two who obviously were going for some boy time.

"We went through the same thing." Ren said.

"I could tell. But I doubt you had the support I did afterwards."

"How could you tell?"

"The way you and Nora reacted. You nodded along or tried to comfort me instead of showing pity."

"We were homeless for a long time. I did what I could for Nora, and I still never feel like it's enough. She's all I have left. I'm all she's ever had."

"You have me now. And Pyrrha. But you definitely have me. Through anything."

"… Thank you, Jaune. It means a lot."

"You never had anyone to save you like I did. But I can at least be there for someone who went through the same thing."

"Thanks. And thanks for being so patient with Nora. I know she isn't always the easiest to deal with. You know we'd have a problem if you treat her badly, right?" Ren gave his leader a slight glare.

"Then I guess it's a good thing I have no intention of being mean to her. I like Nora. She's definitely a change of pace, but a welcome one."

"Good. I'm glad."

"Did you really need to go to the library?"

"No."

"Want to grab a snack while we're out here?"

"Sure. Only if you treat."

Jaune laughed. "No problem, man."

"Should we get something for the girls?"

"What they don't know won't hurt them. As long as we don't smell of sugar when we get back, they won't know."

"I'm telling Pyrrha you said that." Ren started walking off.

"Please don't." Jaune sped up to catch up.

—

Jaune was sitting on the bleachers of the combat room with Glynda not too far from him. He was looking through his scroll with a towel hanging over his neck.

"Miss Goodwitch, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it, Jaune?"

"Have you always been how you are?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you present a cold no-nonsense kind of exterior, but you care deeply for people important to you despite not always showing it. Have you always been like that or is it something that came over time?" He looked up at her.

"Well, you certainly are blunt."

"Can't say I know any other way. Wouldn't be any point to trying to ease into something like that."

"I guess not. To answer your question, I guess I have."

"Did it ever effect your team or your work?"

"Hm… I think at first it did." She sat next to him. "I'm afraid to say I was quite similar to Ms. Schnee as a student."

"A racist who always has to have her way?"

"No! No, no, no. Why would you say something like that?"

"Because so far it's true. She's shown a willingness to at least sort of tolerate Ruby as team leader, but she's never shy about voicing dissension. And, also, she is definitely a racist. I can't say it's because she just is. It's definitely learned behavior, but she doesn't seem to want to hear anything else either. Not to say I think she's all bad, there is some good in her, she's just too prideful to be any other way. She's caught between behavior expected of her by how she was raised and wanting to break free of that so she lives in a weird in between."

"I see. That does sound like a problem, considering…" She glanced at Jaune before trailing off.

"If you mean Blake, I already know."

"Really? How?"

"I can tell. My…" He took a deep breath, "My home town had a population of about forty percent Faunus. You can just kind of tell the difference after a while."

"I see. That's the first time I've heard you speak about home."

"You can thank the headmaster for that. We had a talk the other day and he mentioned my behavior wasn't healthy. Of course, I told him why I am how I am before that. He told me to open up a bit and I told my team the story. Pyrrha asked about why I leave at odd hours of the night and I told her my story."

"You leave after curfew? Where?"

"I train. Nightmares. They happen occasionally, maybe once or twice a week. Three or four if it's bad."

"That's not occasionally, Jaune, that is frequently. Why did you never bring this up to anyone?"

"I wasn't ready to talk about it. The headmaster convinced me to, so now my team knows. This was, of course, why I asked about your personality. I'd like to say I'm relatively similar to you as I am now. Not nearly as blonde, but, you know."

Glynda smiled slightly at the joke. "Yes, I can see that you have a tendency to be all business, much like myself. And we can't all be blessed with beautiful golden locks such as mine. I'd say you're a close second, maybe." Jaune smiled at this. "But, I can see how such an attitude could have an effect on teamwork. I'm not sure what Ozpin told you but as long as you're willing to be open with your team and show you care about them, they will follow you wherever you take them."

"Thanks, Miss Goodwitch. You really helped."

"It is my job, Jaune." She smiled.

"Yeah, well, thanks anyway. I'll see you next time." Jaune got up to leave.

"Wait, Jaune." Glynda called. She paused when he looked back at her. She wasn't really sure why she stopped him, but she had so now she had to roll with it. "You can call me Glynda from now on… But only in private." She finished the sentence with a stern look.

"Alright. Goodnight, Glynda." He started to leave again.

"Goodnight, Jaune."

She sat on the bleachers for a few minutes longer to really think over that decision. She wasn't sure why she made it, but she had. Jaune didn't usually talk too much during their sessions outside of advice and criticism, but the few times they did she felt like he was opening up to her more and more. This conversation being a shining example of that.

She decided the feeling was almost that of kinship. She wasn't sure she'd really call most of her coworkers friends, at least not close friends since they didn't do much together outside of work. But she did almost feel she could begin to think that of Jaune. Which was odd. She'd never felt such a way about a student before. There were those that came to her for extra training, much like Jaune had, but with less altruistic goals. Where Jaune wanted to actually better himself and test himself against a stronger opponent, a lot of the boys and girls who asked for training were looking to be more… Hands on with her. And boy did they try. She expected this more out of male students, but was surprised to find the female ones tried their luck with feeling her up far more often. There were some students she found attractive, physically, but being in a profession that forced peak physical fitness it was kind of hard not to have stray thoughts here and there every so often.

Jaune wasn't like that. It was almost entirely business when they were together. The conversations were more often than not about school. His classes and what to expect out of them. How to handle being a leader. How to be a proper leader. This past conversation. He felt almost like a little brother sometimes. Which she couldn't say she hated considering her lack of a family, but it was odd to form that relationship with a student.

"I know we don't have regulations against dating students, they are adults after all, but it seems I may need to set some in place. Just as a precaution." Ozpin stated from the opposite door Jaune had left out of.

She glared at her boss. "It's nothing like that and you know it."

"I'm just bringing it up." Ozpin smirked before leaving the room, Glynda glaring at him the whole way out.

—

"Alright class, Professor Peach wants all of you to collect at least a jar of sap per person. We're not going to be here long, so I suggest you get to it." Glynda Goodwitch told her students while looking down at her data pad. She was setting a timer to go off when it was time to leave.

The students all began to wander off in different directions chatting about their own things.

"Pyrrha, can you fill a jar for me?" Jaune asked.

"Huh? Why?" She asked. She didn't want to accuse him of pawning his work off on her, so she didn't ask more than that.

"I'm allergic to this stuff. Swell up like a balloon just from touching it."

"You're allergic to red sap?"

"Yep. Mom tried to teach me how to make a pie with it and it did not end well."

"I imagine not."

"Jaune, I think I need to take Nora back to the Bullhead." Ren said.

Jaune and Pyrrha looked over to see their hyperactive teammate slumped over Ren, snoring lightly.

"Sap?" They asked.

"Sap."

"How much did she eat?" Jaune asked.

"At least fifteen jars."

"Okay. You don't have to come back if you want to watch her. We're almost done here." Jaune said.

"Alright. See you in a bit." Ren started walking off.

The two were silent while Pyrrha worked at gathering the sap. She was nearly done with the first jar when one of them decided to speak.

"When did you start competing?" Jaune asked.

"Huh? Oh… Um… A bit before I started at Sanctum. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering. I don't know much about you outside of what I've seen and what other people say. And that's my fault. I was trying to distance myself so I didn't get too attached. I think you can tell by now how well that worked out." He said looking off into the forest.

Pyrrha smiled slightly. "Just because you don't know much about me doesn't mean you don't know me. I've always just been myself around everyone. You are the only one we don't truly know. But that's not entirely your fault. You closed yourself off as a result of tragedy so the version of you we've been seeing isn't the person you are."

Her smile grew at the slight twitch of his lips trying to resist a smile.

"If it's that important to you, I don't mind telling you about my life. And I suppose it's only fair, considering you told us all about yours. To start, my family was already pretty wealthy and well known, even before I started competing. I could only compete because of that. I had access to the best of everything. Training, weapons, facilities, everything. I started to compete because it was what I was good at. Fighting has always come somewhat naturally to me. And winning was an exhilarating experience. At least at first. But the more I won, the more attention I got. People put me on a pedestal. I was already looked up at because of my family status, but getting it on my own merit was a different experience." She changed to an empty jar. "All the sponsorships starting coming in. The photo shoots, the parties, magazine covers, cereal boxes, just about anything and everything wanted to sponsor me. It all really went to my head after a while. The parties were boring for the most part, and that's how I met Weiss, but I was still an entitled child."

She scowled as she thought about her past, and Jaune noticed this.

"What happened?" He asked.

"I lost myself." She sighed. "In all the fame and glory I saw myself as others did: Above them all. I stopped seeing people as people for a while. I did a lot of things I'm not proud of. Hurt some friends and burned some bridges I may never repair. And that changed after… An accident I caused with my semblance." She bit her lip hard enough Jaune thought she would draw blood. "It brought me back to reality. It's a time in my life I'm not proud of, but I've learned from it. I left home to get away from all of that, but it didn't exactly work out like-."

Jaune caught the sound of something flying and looked over. He quickly put up an aura shield when he saw a jar of red sap flying at him. The jar shattered against the shield when he noticed a second jar heading towards Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha!" He shouted, cutting off her story.

She looked up in time to see him trying to catch the jar, but it slipped past him. She grabbed her shield and brought it up, but not quickly enough. Only half the jar was blocked. It shattered on contact with her shield and sent sap and glass flying towards her face.

Jaune could only watch, as if in slow motion, as the the mess hit Pyrrha in the face.

A loud scream rang out.

Jaune moved to do something to try to help his screaming partner. He wasn't sure what to do or how to help the situation. He heard a sound that only infuriated him far further: Cardin's laughter. Jaune calmed himself enough to calm Pyrrha, but didn't know how to help her. So he called Ren.

"Ren, get back here quick. I need you to get Pyrrha to the bullhead as quick as possible. She might be grievously injured." Jaune explained.

Ren heard the restrained rage in his leaders voice and rushed back to the forest. He'd been met part way by professor Goodwitch and she helped carry Nora the rest of the way while Ren went back.

Ren was back in less than a minute and gasped lightly at what had happened to Pyrrha.

"Get her back to the bullhead." Jaune said, the rage in his voice breaking through as he eyed the red headed boy laughing only a few meters away.

Ren was silent as he grabbed Pyrrha and led her to the bullhead. Jaune walked up to Cardin just as team RWBY made it to the clearing.

"Oh, what? You gonna hit me?" Cardin laughed at the look of utter rage on Jaune's face.

"Yes." Jaune said, hitting Cardin hard enough to knock him on his ass a few feet away, sending a jar of sap into the air and splattering on Cardin's armor. Cardin stumbled to his feet and activated his aura just as Jaune delivered another powerful hit straight to his nose. Nothing broke, but it still hurt like hell and sent him to the ground again. Before he could get up Jaune kicked him in the side of the face.

The girls gasped at the brutal display and moved to stop him as he reached down to grab Cardin by his armor, but a loud roar interrupted this. A large Ursa sped form the tree line sending Cardin's already scared team running for the hills. The beast ran straight at Cardin, trying to maul him, but Jaune tossed him away.

Death was not about to keep Cardin from getting the hands.

Ruby began issuing orders.

"Yang, Blake, watch the perimeter for more movement. Weiss, give me a boost when I say so. Jaune!" She shouted to get the boys attention, who was staring at the Ursa like it just pissed in his coffee. The blond glanced at her to show he heard her. "Get him to the cliff!"

Jaune nodded, grabbing a jar of sap, opening it, and taking off toward the cliff edge.

"This is so stupid. We should just attack it." Weiss protested.

"Weiss, if that's an Ursa Major like I think it is it's hide is too thick for us to do meaningful damage without a lot of extra effort. This is the most efficient way to handle it." Ruby explained, finishing just as the beast got close enough to Jaune. "Fire."

Weiss huffed, but did as requested, rocketing Ruby across the clearing and into the Ursa. Jaune jumped as it attacked him Ruby tacked it, sending it over the cliff. While big, the momentum transfer wasn't enough to stop Ruby completely and Jaune had to catch her to keep her from going over the edge as well.

"Thanks." Ruby smiled.

Jaune grunted in acknowledgment before walking back to Cardin, who was still breathing heavy from his near miss.

"Y-you saved me." Cardin said.

"I'm not done with you." Jaune said as he grabbed Cardin by the front of his armor and slammed him against a tree with enough force to rock Cardin and the tree violently. "Listen to me you soulless, red headed fuck, and listen well. If you ever try anything like you did today again, I'll finish what that doctor couldn't before you were born and turn you into nothing more than a red stain. Do you understand me, Winchester, you useless sack of afterbirth? I. Will. End. You."

Cardin nodded quickly and Jaune pushed him up against the tree before walking after his team, leaving a stunned team RWBY and an actually terrified Cardin, who had fallen to his knees with his legs little more than jelly, standing in the clearing.

"Holy fuck…" Yang said.

"I wonder what happened…" Blake said.

"Nothing good if Jaune was that angry." Ruby said.

"Wait," Yang started as Jaune's rant caught up with her, "Did he just call Cardin a failed abortion?"

"I think he did." Her partner said.

The three followed after Jaune shortly, leaving a still stunned Cardin sitting on the ground.

—


	4. Unstoppable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea where this idea came from but it's a Fairly Odd Parents/Unordinary/Persona cross that I wrote 18k words for just for the final fight scene. I'm still confused how I wrote this even though it's been sitting on my hard drive for 2+ years.

Timmy Turner hit the ground incredibly hard. This was to be expected considering he’d just gotten tossed out a second story window. He stood up with a groan and sat on the stairs. It was just another day of torture at school. He was at the bottom of the social hierarchy so everyone, especially the low and mid tiers, took out their frustrations on him. He sighed as he looked up at the sky. That’s just how things went. The god tier and high tiers ran the school while the Elite tiers did what they wanted within reason and the mid tiers tried to get by. The low tiers just had to stay low and hope no one decided to turn their attention on them that day. Unfortunately for Timmy, he was everyones favorite low tier to torture. The reason for this was because he was completely powerless. No power to speak of. At least as far as the other students knew.

He was fine with this situation, however, because he didn’t really care about the social hierarchy or any of that tier bullshit. This was likely because of the way he was raised, he mused. High and God tiers were taught to be an example to the lower tiers. They had to be completely perfect in every aspect. Elite tiers were taught similarly to the High and God tiers with a slight twist. Everyone else was taught to obey the social order and stay in your tier. You didn’t socialize with lower tiers, especially not low tiers. Timmy wasn’t raised as a High tier. His powers didn’t really come in until towards the end middle school and even then weren’t obvious, so he was never subjected to the same type of propaganda and indoctrination as everyone else.

‘Besides, it’s not like they’re doing any real damage.’ He thought as his icy blue eyes shone for a second and his wounds healed instantly. He silently nodded to the apparition only he could see before it dissipated. He heard the bell ring and hopped into the bushes as the door burst open and a flood of students poured from the building.

He waited silently, not even daring to look over the hedges until he couldn’t hear anything anymore. When he finally did look up, his stare lingered. It fell on Trixie Tang. She was the Queen and the only God Tier student in the school. In her group was Tad, the King, Chad, the Jack, and Veronica, the Healer. Together these four made up the royals of Dimmsdale high. Timmy had always had a crush on Trixie ever since they were kids, but once he learned of the social order, he knew it would never happen. Then, when he discovered his powers, he almost went for it before he realized how disgusted he was by how everything worked.

“So we have turf wars today, right?” Veronica asked.

“Yes, V. That’s the third time you’ve asked today.” Tad said, adjusting his sun glasses.

“I don’t understand how you have such good grades when you have such a terrible memory.” Chad said, straightening his designer blazer. The school might have had a uniform, but he just refused to be caught in anything not name brand.

“Hey! Just because I have trouble remembering things doesn’t mean I’m stupid!” The blonde said.

“Stop it. We need to leave soon or we won’t make it on time. I am not losing access to my favorite make up store because you guys want to talk.” Trixie said. The group quickly silenced as they got into the Asian womans car.

Timmy was interested. He’d never seen a Turf war before. Granted, the only ones who were allowed to see them were the participants, but that didn’t really mean anything to him. He quickly made his way to the parking lot and got into his car. He knew where it was, one of his summons had overheard it, so he didn’t have to risk getting caught tailing the Royals.

Traffic sucked on the way there and Timmy understood why Trixie was in such a rush. The Turf War arena was just that, an abandoned arena near the outskirts of town. Remnants of the Soccer field that was supposed to be built there still lingered in the rusted and rotted out building. Luckily it wasn’t too dark thanks to Tads Light Manipulation.

“So, how do you want to do this?” Asked the leader from the opposing team, a blonde girl. Behind her was a boy with white hair in a jacket and pants, but no shirt, a timid looking girl with blue hair, and a black guy with short hair and a sleeve of tattoos. “Should we go 3v3 or 1v1?”

“Trix?” Tad asked.

“I’m not really in the mood to fight right now. One on one.” Trixie said without looking up from her phone.

“Well, you heard the lady. Chad, you’re up.” Tad said.

“Yup.” Chad said, taking off his sun glasses. He cracked his knuckles and whatever else would crack as he stepped up against the opponent, the black guy.

“Man this, almost feels like some kind of slave fight or something,” The other guy said to Chad.

“Heh. Tell me about it.” Chad said.

“Still, good to see another brother in a royal squad.”

“I know right? Not too many of us are royals. I wonder if that’s-.”

“Will you two get started already? I want to go home!” Veronica said.

“Fine.” Chad sighed. “No hard feelings, man.”

“Same.”

And with that the fight started. The challenger rushed Chad, but this turned out to be a mistake on his part. Chad dodged a few hit before landing a solid punch to the stomach. Solid enough that it dropped his opponent cold. The enemy team was shocked, while none of the Dimmsdale Royals seemed particularly surprised. Tad even yawned.

“What the fuck was that?” The blonde leader said, still shocked.

“I just used my ability. If you can figure out what it is I’ll buy you some cookies.” Chad said.

“I just… Fine. Saul, you’re up.”

“Yes!” The white haired kid said. He stretched before taking a ready stance. He was a lot less talkative. The moment the fight started the two moved at each other. Saul took special care to not get hit at all. This didn’t seem to matter, however, as he lost balance and started swaying. Before the teams queen could call it Chad kicked him in the face and laid him out.

Seemingly incredibly upset at this, the blonde girl threw off her jacket and marched up to the fighting area as her teammates were healed. A tail and a set of wrist mounted blades appeared in pink energy. The second the fight started she used her tail to try and get Chad to move the way she wanted. It seemed to work at first, but Chad smirked. Realizing what he was going to do, the other Royals all covered their ears, leaving the healer and the leader confused. Timmy Likewise covered his ears in preparation of the sonic boom that was about to occur. As if on cue, Chad closed the distance at a dead angle and placed his hand next to her ear before snapping and causing a devastating sound to ring out, knocking the woman out cold.

“Right, well, this has been fun and all, but I’ve got some shopping to do in our newly acquired area. See ya.” Trixie said as her group left, leaving the healer to do her job. After finishing on the first fighter, she moved to the second, but already seemed to be getting tired. Timmy sighed before going down to the arena. When she spotted him she got worried, having recognized his uniform.

“Who are you?” She asked defensively as Timmy approached.

“Don’t worry,” Timmy put his hands up to show he wasn’t there to fight, “I just want to help.”

“What? Why?”

“You look like you’re running out of gas, and I don’t want you to get hurt trying to help your friends.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“This.” Timmy snapped and she swore she saw a brief flicker of a bird woman in a white dress behind him. She looked down to see not only were her friends back to full health, but she felt fine as well.

“Why do this?”

“Because I felt like it. Just keep this a secret. No one knows any of this happened, alright?”

“Okay.” She said, not really wanting to deny someone who helped her.

Timmy made his way back to his car and sighed before heading home.

——

Timmy opened his door to silence. Wasn’t surprising. His parents always went out to do stuff, leaving him behind and all alone. Well, not entirely. He always had his summons to talk to. And then there was a certain red head. Being old enough to drive, Timmy didn’t really need a baby sitter anymore, but his parents continued to pay Vicky to come over and watch him. He sometimes wondered if they even knew how old he was. Didn’t really matter since Vicky wasn’t over too much anyway. Around his fourteenth birthday they’d come to an agreement that he’d get some freedom and he didn’t tell his parents that she was usually at her real job. He didn’t have to deal with her moods and she got payed to get payed. Win-win.

Timmy grabbed some food from the fridge before going up to his room.

Timmy usually didn’t do much in his room. He had a few posters up, a T.V, a game console, and a laptop. It wasn’t that he didn’t have much to do, just that he didn’t do much. Instead of playing with his toys, he usually opted to talk to his summons. This was particularly time consuming since there were so many of them. He kept a notebook on them to keep track, but that notebook quickly turned into two then four then six. Each page or two covered a different one, noting different things about them. He especially liked to keep track of personality traits and abilities, which he tracked by tarot card arcana. The more powerful ones, usually the ones named after gods, he didn’t use much. The one he was with now was called Alice. She was one of the more powerful ones, but he still wanted to learn more about everything he could. In the middle of his conversation, something he didn’t account for happened.

“I brought food, T-.” Vicky froze as she opened to door to Timmy’s room.

Timmy froze as he turned to see the red head in his doorway. Alice looked between the two before dissipating, causing Vicky to gape in shock.

“Uh…” Timmy said, eyes darting as he tried to think of an explanation.

“What was that? What just happened?” Vicky asked.

“I… Uh…”

“Was that an ability? But that was a person! You have an ability?!” She almost shouted.

“Quiet! Fine, I’ll tell you, but you have to promise to keep it a secret.” Timmy said.

“And what are you going to do if I don’t?” She crossed her arms.

Timmy glared and she was about to laugh, but she felt something cold and metal against her throat.

“I’ll kill you!” The little girl that had just been on the bed said.

Vicky nodded as best as she could and the girl disappeared again. Timmy followed her down stairs and explained everything while they ate.

“So you’re a God tier and you’ve been hiding it?” Vicky asked, trying to make sure she understood the insanity he’d just told her.

“Yes.”

“Why?” Being an Elite tier, Vicky couldn’t comprehend wanting to go through everything she and others constantly put the low tiers through.

“Because I’m disgusted by the entire system. It’s a game I don’t want to play. If I do, I lose. I end up as snobby and self centered and self important as the high tiers at my school. I don’t want that for myself. I don’t want to go through the constant stress of having everyone look up at me like I’m some god, but constantly judging my every move. You might think you’re special and free up at the top, but you’re not. You’re just as, if not more oppressed then those of us at the bottom. At school at least. I don’t have to put on a mask and act like the perfect example to everyone else. You do. Which I think is part of why you are the way you are.”

“Whoa! Hold up! What the fuck does that mean?”

“I mean that you’re an Elite tier, so people look up to you and judge you. You were probably a Royal in school. So you have the stress of everyone being on your case about the most mundane things, mixed with the power and go ahead to attack the weak. Add a dash of pure sadism and we get you, Vicky.”

“I should smack you for that.” She sneered.

“But you won’t.”

“What makes you think so?” Her face didn’t break at him calling her bluff.

“Because you’ve had it, possibly literally, beaten into you not to go up against someone stronger than you. Now that you know I can easily take you down you’re hesitant to attack me.”

Her face stayed twisted into a sneer, but she knew he was right.

“So, how powerful are you, anyway? What does your ability do?”

“I can call on summons with different powers. I have over a hundred summons that I know of. I got a home test for ability level and it put me at around 6.5 or so. Keep in mind this was before I really even knew what I could do. I still don’t know the full extent of my powers.”

Vicky was visibly terrified of this. She’d spent years torturing this kid and he outclassed her by miles. She couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of him being so much stronger than her and not knowing what he was really capable of.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to go out of my way to attack you or anything. Like I said, whole system is stupid and I don’t want to be a part of it.”

“Okay… What about the government or anything? Don’t they know? You do have to register your ability.”

“Not when everyone thinks you’re a cripple. I’m just going to go through life like a normal person.”

“But you’re constantly beat up and attacked! Why not fight back? Why not at least show you’re not completely powerless?”

“I don’t really trust myself to not take it too far. I think it’s a slippery slope. It just takes one slip up to get a taste for the high life then next thing I know I’m the thing I hate most. I’d rather avoid it in general. You know what they say about power and corruption and all.”

Vicky sighed. “How many can you summon at once?”

“I’ve never really tested that. I’m pretty sure I can call all of them at once, but the back lash that would cause would likely be horrific.”

“Calling out your summons causes back lash?”

“No. But I do get tired the more constantly I do. It’s like a muscle and since I don’t use it incredibly often it’s not particularly strong. So while I can do a lot, I can’t go insane with it.”

Vicky sighed again. “Well, I’ve come to a decision. I’m going to start treating you better. Not because you can easily kill me, but because I kind of understand you now.”

“You know me best. Even if we don’t have a good relationship, you’re here more than my parents are.”

Now that she thought about it, He was right. She spent just as much, if not more, time with him than she did at her own house.

“Damn.” She said.

“Well, thanks for the food. I’m going to do my homework.” Timmy said.

“Yeah.”

———

Timmy was walking down the empty hall of his school. It was a free period for him since he tested out of the class he would be taking in this slot. He was on his way to his favorite spot in the school, the roof. Technically only the Royals were allowed up there but he didn’t really care, he did what he wanted as much as they did. Stepping out into the open air and clear sky, he took a deep breath and stretched. Not seeing anyone around, he jumped up and landed on top of the entrance. It was like a small island on the roof where he could just relax.

He awoke with a start. He hadn’t realize he had fallen asleep. The sun was getting low, meaning it was about time for school to end. Meaning he missed his last class. He cursed to himself. He was about to get up when he realized why he woke up so violently. There was someone else on the roof. He moved over to where he felt the persona and quietly peeked over the edge of the roof.

It was Trixie and Veronica, but the latter was just leaving, so Trixie was alone now. She was looking out over the school as students left. Timmy was planning to lay low until she left, but that plan was quickly thwarted as his phone started vibrating. He silently cursed the bad timing and pulled his phone out. It was a text from Vicky wondering what he wanted for dinner. He almost rolled his eyes, but he felt a light pressure fall on him.

“What are you doing up here?” Trixie asked, still facing away from him.

Timmy was silent. He hoped she’d let it drop, but she turned and met his eyes.

“I asked you a question.” She said sternly.

“Oh… Uh… I was… I came up here earlier and… I kind of fell asleep. I just woke up, really.” He stammered. It wasn’t because he was scared, which he would have every right to be when facing someone who’d never taken a single hit and could control fucking Gravity of all things, but because she made him nervous. He still did have a crush on her and he found it hard to talk to her.

“Only Royals are allowed up here.”

“I was initially planning to be gone before anyone else came up here.” He said more smoothly, calming himself down.

“It doesn’t matter what your intent was. Only Royals are allowed on the roof. No one else. Especially not Cripples.”

“Well I was just about to leave.” Timmy said as he started climbing down, but feel hard as a heavy weight pulled him down.

“You leave when I say you can.” Trixie walked up to his prone form, pinned to the ground by her powers. “I’m going to say this one more time so you get it through your thick skull,” She stepped on the side of his head, “The roof is for Royals only! Only those of us who stand above the rest are allowed to be up here.”

‘If only she realized the irony in that statement.’ Timmy thought.

“Now get out of my sight.” Trixie said as she let him go.

Timmy stood and dusted himself off before leaving.

Trixie hummed as the boy left. As unconcerned as she acted about the rest of the student body, she kept a really close eye on all of them. As queen and strongest in the school it was her job, her responsibility, to make sure everyone fell in line. To keep the proper order. The low tiers kept to the sides of the hallway and tried to keep out of sight. The Mid tiers had a bit more leeway and did what they wanted within reason, they were the majority of the school after all. Elite tiers had more freedom than that since they only had to answer to the High tiers. Being the only God tier student, Trixie had the most freedom of anyone. People actually got out of her way when she walked through the halls.

Except for Timmy Turner. He was the one student who didn’t follow the rules as he should. Walking through the hallways with little regard for anyone else like a high tier, fighting back or running when someone came after him, taking food that even some of the high tiers couldn’t get their hands on, and now coming up to the roof. As much hell as he was put through, his spirit never seemed to break. Even now, his eyes still held some disobedience in them. This would not do. While the boy did slightly interest her, how could he not when he acted the way he did, she was more interested in getting him in line.

“I think we’re going to have to have a meeting about this.” Trixie said to herself as she spotted him walking to his car.

——

“We’re home!” Timmy’s parents said as they burst through the door.

“Welcome home Mr. And Mrs. Turner!” Vicky said. Even after all these years they still thought she was a good person.

“Hi, Vicky! Thanks a ton for watching Timmy while we were at…” Mr. Turner trailed off.

“Couples therapy!” Mrs. Turner said brightly.

“No problem. Timmy’s the best kid I babysit!”

“Glad to hear it!” They said.

Timmy walked down stairs to see what was going on. “Oh, hey Mom and dad.” He said nonchalantly.

“Hi!” They said enthusiastically.

Timmy had to hide a look of annoyance. His parents always coddled him when his ability didn’t start developing. Even now, as much as they were away from home, they always showered him in attention. It always felt hollow to him. Like they were trying to compensate for his not having powers. He knew they loved him regardless, but still. It felt like a pendulum to him. They were constantly gone and seemed uninterested in him, but at the same time were showing all the love they could while they were home. Granted they showed their love by treating him like a Faberge egg, but it was love regardless.

Vicky seemed to see it in his eyes as he hugged his parents.

“Well, thanks again, Vicky!” Mr. Turner said before paying her.

“Really, it’s no problem. I do so enjoy being here with him!” She said, trying to make it sound less creepy than she felt it was.

“See you tomorrow!” Mrs. Turner smiled as Vicky left.

“So, how was school, Timmy?” His father asked.

“It was fine. Same old, same old, really.” He said.

His parents faltered a bit. They knew how low tiers got treated. They participated in it in school and it hurt them to hear their son was going through it as well.

“Oh, well, I hope things get better soon.” His mother said.

“Things are fine. Vicky already got food, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Okay.” They said as Timmy went back up to his room. The really wished they could do more for him, but there wasn’t much they could do. He didn’t mind their constant vacations and seemed to have no problem with Vicky. They knew he was old enough to care for himself, but part of the reason they still hired her was because they didn’t want him to be alone in case something happened. They had no plans to lose their son if someone decided they wanted to try something. They sighed before heading up to their room.

——

Timmy made his way through the hall on the way to the bathroom. He was bored and needed a slight break from class, and this was the best way to get it. Not even fifteen feet from the bathroom the wall exploded and a student with green hair came flying out of it. He hit the beam of the window and slid to the ground.

‘Great, now I have to go to the one down stairs.’ Timmy sighed.

“That’s what you get for thinking you could stand up to me!” A boy shouted, stepping through the hole.

Timmy didn’t bother to see who it was before ducking around the corner to head the other way.

“Whoa, where do you think you’re going Turner?” Francis asked.

‘Shit.’ Timmy thought.

“Uh, I was just trying to to the bathroom, but I see this one is kind of occupied.”

“Well it’s free now. Or…” Francis looked into the bathroom from the hole, “How about I help you to the one downstairs?” Francis smirked.

Timmy knew what that meant.

“No, really, it’s no problem.”

“No, please, I broke the wall, so the least I could do is show the SHORTCUT!” Francis jumped at Timmy, who rolled out of the way. He did not want to be on the receiving end of that again.

“I’ll just take the long way!” Timmy said, backing up. He cursed when he felt the window behind him.

“Oh, you want to go to the one on the first floor! Here, let me help!” Francis charged him, his body turning into metal as he did.

Timmy stood against the window. There was no way he was taking this hit, so he planned to dodge. As Francis closed in, Timmy got ready. Just before Francis hit him he ducked to the side, letting Francis fly out the third story window.

“Well, that’s enough excitement for one day.” Timmy said as he started making his way back to class. He felt he killed enough time and it wasn’t like he even really needed to use the bathroom.

As he walked back into class the teacher looked at him.

“Ah, Mr. Turner. You enjoyed your little trip I hope. While you were gone I explained a group project. You’re going to be paired with Trixie for an essay and speech project.”

“Okay.” Timmy said calmly before moving over to the empty seat next to his partner. “Did you already-.”

“Be quiet.” She snapped, annoyed to be placed in a group with the lowest student in th school. “Listen up because I won’t be explaining this again. I’m going to be doing all the work, so you just sit back and let me handle it.”

“Yeah, no.” Timmy said.

“Excuse you?” Trixie scoffed.

“I said no. While I can understand you having never had anyone say that to you, it should definitely be in your lexicon. I’m doing my fair share of work on this project.”

“What you’re going to do is stay out of my way.”

“Nope.” Timmy looked over the assignment sheet, “It says here we have to each do our own essay anyway, so I’ll do my essay and half the talking point on the presentation.”

Trixie was growing increasingly irate at his attitude and dismissal of her. She kept her composure as it wouldn’t do for the other students to see her lose her cool. The bell rang and she took her time packing up as she knew Timmy was usually the last one out of the class. The second they were alone she used her ability to slam him against the wall.

“Listen well, Turner,” She spat his name with acid, “You will do as I say, or there will be serious consequences”

Timmy blinked at her. The fact he didn’t seem one bit scared or worried or intimidated only drove the Asian girls rage further.

“I’m not going to let you do my work for me. As much as you might hate to hear it, my grades are nearly as good as yours.”

That was it. She was blind and deaf and all she knew was rage. How dare this low life powerless scum compare himself to her, the strongest student in the school, the top of the top? How dare he compare himself to her? By the time she snapped back to reality Timmy was a bloody pulp. She let him drop, not even realizing he was still awake or the rebellion in his eyes. She was calm again as she left the classroom.

When he was sure he was alone, Timmy healed himself nodding a thanks to the apparition who appeared to do so. He stood up and dusted himself off before walking out of the room. He had to go to his silent study class next, then he’d get lunch.

Trixie had been waiting for lunch. Today was the day they served her favorite dessert and she had no plans on missing it. So you could imagine her frustration when she found someone had taken the last slice of Strawberry Short Cake. She was beyond furious. First Turner disobeyed her, and now this.

“Who took it?” She asked.

“Some kid with blue eyes with a blue backpack. The cripple kid I think.” The lunch lady said.

Trixie let out a low growl. Of course it would be Turner of all people. Fine. It was a simple matter to get her sweet dessert back from him. She took her food and spotted him easily enough making his way to the solitary table at the back of the room he always sat at. She met him before he could sit and glared at him.

“Give me that.” She said.

Timmy looked at his dessert for a second before looking back to her.

“No.” He said simply. The crowd gasped at his audacity.

“I said give me the Cake.”

“Not going to happen.”

“You will hand it over.” She said.

Timmy felt his body freeze in place. So that was her game, huh?

Trixie walked closer to him and tried to take the plate from his frozen body. Before she could, his hand tipped slightly and the plate went falling. Had she been expecting the act of rebellion, she could have caught the sweet treat. But she wasn’t, so she didn’t. The cake splattered to the floor sending flecks of whipped cream and slices of strawberry at the two people.

“Oops.” Timmy said with a mocking tone.

Trixie’s eye twitched before an invisible force sent everything flying away from her, including Timmy, who slammed into the concrete wall hard enough to dent it. He was happy his Wards, as he had started to call them, gave him passive abilities like increased strength and defense. He didn’t have time to move as Trixie was on him in a blink, punching him and further damaging the wall. He dropped to the floor and she kicked him in the face, shattering the wall and sending him rolling out into the parking lot.

Trixie took a deep breath and righted herself. She wasn’t sure how he was okay after that beating she’d given him only an hour beforehand, but this had to teach him a lesson. When she turned to walk back to her table, the crowd gasped. She turned to see Timmy standing. With a wave of her hand all of the rubble from the wall floated up before firing at Timmy and nearly crushing him. She left it at that.

Too focused on Acting like they hadn’t just seen Trixie actually attempt to kill someone, no one noticed Timmy dig himself from the pile of rubble and make his way to his car.

Trixie sat down with her group and sighed.

“What’s wrong Trix? You seem really frustrated today.” Tad said.

“It’s Turner. He just constantly acts like he’s not the lowest of the low. The spark of rebellion in his eyes really pisses me off. Like, how dare a low tier act like he’s on the same level as me? As any of us?” Trixie said.

“So are we going to do something about him?” Chad asked.

“That we are, Chad. But first we need information. Tad, Go to the newspaper club and get one of the reporters to tail Turner. Anything we can learn about him the better. I want to make sure his destruction is as complete and thorough as possible.”

“You got it, Trix.” Tad said with a slight laugh and small grin.

Timmy was lying in the back seat of his car, mostly waiting for the lunch room to clear out so he could leave. With the beating he’d just gotten, no one would expect him to go to the rest of his classes. He heard the bell ring and smirked. He waited until he heard the next bell before getting up and driving off. He mused for a second about how easy it is to trick everyone. It honestly was second nature at this point. This trail of thought was stopped as he thought about his interaction with Trixie Tang. Being so close to her was bound to have her looking into him. Hell, the way he’d been acting it was a miracle the royals hadn’t already tried something. Now… Directly going against the wishes of the Queen would have him under investigation. He sighed. This stop light was taking too long. It let him think too much.

“I need something sweet.” He sighed as he made a B line for a nearby drive through.

He knew what was going to happen now. Or at least he had an idea. Trixie would be planning something big to make him fall in line. As long as he could endure what ever it was, he’d be fine. Unless they decided to try something bigger next time. He still had another year of school and he was not looking forward to having the Royals on his back the whole time. As the scenarios ran through his mind he could see very few ways out of this completely. The only surefire way was to show he was the strongest, but that was an absolute last resort. One he didn’t want to have to resort to.

He decided to play his cards close to the chest for now and see how things go. The ball was in their court. It was their move. However they decided to open this game, he had to be quick to catch and counter it. Otherwise, he’d be in a serious world of trouble.

Tad walked into the newspaper club like he belonged there. A few people saw him, but no one dared question his casual appearance in the newsroom. As the King of Dimmsdale he essentially controlled the press. A duty relegated to him by Trixie.

“Hey, Glasses.” Tad said as he stopped in front of the desk of the editor in chief.

“Huh? Oh, Hello. What can I do you for, Tad?” The black haired girl asked, adjusting her glasses.

“I need info on someone. Timmy Turner.”

“Tim- Yeah, I got you.” She said as she moved over to a filing cabinet. She unlocked one of the middle drawers and flicked through a few files before pulling out a stack of files as thick as a text book. “There you go. Everything I have on Timmy Turner.”

“Whoa… Tootie, why do you have this?”

“I recommend you not ask questions you don’t want the answers to.”

“Don’t get snide with me. Answer the question.”

Tootie sighed. “If you really must know, I used to have a crush on him. If I’m being completely honest there may still be some lingering feelings, despite him being a cripple.”

Tad flipped through the files. “Some of this is from as recently as last year.”

“Like I said, some lingering affection.”

“Okay then…” He was obviously unnerved by her obsessive habits, “Well, I need you or someone in your staff to start tailing him again.”

“As much as I’d love to do that, I’m kind of busy. Uh…” Tootie looked around the room and spotted a blonde girl, “Missy, come here.”

The girl got up and quickly moved to the table. “Yes?”

“I need you to tail Timmy Turner. The Royals have something planned for him and want to get a hold on his habits.” Tootie said.

“What makes you think we have something planned?” Tad asked.

“It’s kind of obvious. Whenever a Royal wants info on someone It’s always because they plan to do something. With Turner I can only guess the Queen wants to knock him down a few pegs. It really is unnatural for a cripple to act the way he does.”

“In all honesty, I’m suspicious of him.” Missy said.

“I am too.” Tootie said, both women being on the same page.

“Why?” Tad asked, not getting it.

Tootie struggled to not let her disappointment be seen, “He acts like a high tier, despite being a cripple, he has no allegiance or regard for the proper social order, and he never takes any lasting damage despite never once having gone to the nurses office. It makes me think he has an ability but chooses to hide it. And if that’s true, he could be incredibly dangerous. Could you imagine an Elite tier, or even worse a High or God tier, student raised without the proper high tier upbringing? A person like that would have no real regard for the system. They wouldn’t think the way everyone else thinks. They would have the potential to completely disrupt the entire social hierarchy.”

Tad couldn’t help but narrow his eyes at the new possibility. If this was true, it would be a serious problem. Turner would be a serious threat to everything he and Trixie worked to maintain. This couldn’t be allowed to continue. If Turner did have an ability, he needed to be sorted into the proper social standing.

“What class is Turner in now?” Tad asked.

“He would have a free period right now that he usually spends up on the roof, but he left after Trixie sent him flying through the wall of the cafeteria.” Tootie said.

“… He goes up on the roof?”

“Almost everyday. He spends his free period on the roof of the roof entrance.” Tootie explained.

Tad unconsciously growled at the symbolism of that. The Royals went to the roof to clear their heads and be alone and think. They were only allowed up there because they stood above everyone else as the strongest in the school. Turner had taken up shop at a point on the roof higher than they did. Even if he didn’t mean what it implied, Tad wasn’t a fan of it.

“And you said he left after Trixie actually almost killed him?”

“Yeah. That wasn’t even the first time today. She spent five minutes straight pounding on him after their English class and he walked out unscathed.”

“How do you know this?”

“I was heading to my next class in that room and caught a bit of it. I left, not wanting to have any of that wrath turned on me, and when I came back Timmy was walking out like nothing happened.”

“Hm. Well, it seems at the very least he could replace Veronica as out healer. Not that we ever really take hits, let alone hits bad enough to require one.”

“Of course.” The two girls said.

“Right. Well thanks for your participation.” Tad said as he left.

“Should I start on my assignment immediately?”

“No, it can wait for tomorrow. He’s heading straight home today so there won’t be any chance to catch him doing anything suspicious.”

“How do you know that?” Missy asked.

“It’s an easy enough conclusion to draw. Would you feel like doing anything but sleeping if you got kicked through a concrete wall?”

“Good point.” The blonde said.

——

“This is more information than I was expecting right off the bat.” Trixie said as she looked at the thick stack of files on her coffee table.

Tad had called a meeting about what they had discussed earlier and everyone met at her house. The maids were gone, leaving just the teens in the large pick mansion.

“Turns out the Editor in chief had a crush on the guy, so she already had a ton of info on him.” Tad said. “As well as an interesting hypothesis I had never considered.”

“And that would be?” Trixie asked.

“He’s not actually a cripple.”

The other three were silent at this proposal, but when she thought about it, it started to make sense.

“What made her think that?” Chad asked.

“Well, she brought up that Trixie brutalized him before lunch,” Tad looked at the black haired girl who nodded, “But he looked perfectly fine during lunch. Which leads me to believe he, at the very least, has a healing ability. Possibly better than yours, V.”

“There’s no way!” Veronica said.

“She said he’d never been to the nurses office once. But with how much he gets injured, you’d think he’d step foot in there at least once. I’ve seen Francis break one of his arms before, but he was fine the next day. Like it never happened.” Tad explained.

“Okay, so we know he’s hiding an ability. We have an idea of what it can do. But why hide it?” Chad asked.

“It’s possible his ability didn’t come in when ours did. And by that point he would have had a low tier upbringing. No one to hammer into him the importance of the hierarchy and his responsibility if he’s higher than mid tier.”

“Timmy Turner. 16 years old.” Trixie started reading the file, “Only child of Mr. And Mrs. Turner, names redacted but nicknamed Dad and Mom respectively since their youth. Used to be friends with A.J, Chester, Sanjay, and Elmer, but they quickly abandoned him when he was revealed to be a cripple. Despite his age his parents still hire a babysitter by the name of Vicky. The red head appears to be an Elite tier,” Trixie placed her power spread on the table, “She can cast realistic illusions and even simulate actual pain. She spends more time at the Turner house than anywhere else, but is still not there very often. The rest of this is interests and pictures of him, as well as speculation on what his ability might be.” Trixie said.

“This is a pretty thorough write up.” Chad said. Looking over the contents of the folder.

“So, what do we do? Do you still want to break him down, or are we changing things up based on this new information?” Tad asked.

“Do we have anyone tailing him?” Trixie asked.

“A news girl named Missy.”

“Good. For now the plan is to get close to him. The fact that he has no friends and spends most time alone makes this easy. Tad, I want you to get close to him as friends. Save him from an ambush or something, but don’t make it too obvious you want to pretend to be his friend. Just be tolerant towards him. Act like he gets on your nerves, but in a good way. I’ve recently gotten placed in a group project with him, so I can use that to learn anything about him that’s not in his file.”

“Do you want me to do anything?” Veronica asked.

“No. It would be suspicious if all of the royals suddenly tried to get close the a cripple. To him and everyone else. Tootie likely already suspects what we have planned.”

“She does.” Tad confirmed.

“So we just have to play the long game. Make him think he can trust at least one of us. While I am annoyed in the way he acts, it would be unwise to just go with what I had planned before. We need to figure out what makes him tick and go from there.”

“Agreed.” Tad said.

“Alright. And with that the meeting is over. I’ll make some calls and set up an ambush, so you just have to be there to help him around his free period.” Trixie said.

“Got it.” Tad said as the group stood up.

——

Timmy knew his ability was broad. He’d classified it as summoning, but there didn’t seem to be any real limits to what he could summon. While he mostly got to know his wards, he had played with the more abstract parts a bit. Right now he was looking over a massive armory. He’d been looking it over and documenting everything inside. He seemed to be only half way through, but was now on his third notebook.

“You know, Master, there is an easier way to do this.” A woman with a short white bob cut and bright yellow eyes said. She was dressed in a blue dress that resembled a stewardess' outfit with five black-lined circles outside small yellow circles, blue gloves, a blue attendant-like hat, black leggings and blue, knee-length boots.

“And what would that be, Elizabeth?” Timmy asked.

“Simple, really. We already keep the books on everything. Even a compendium of all of your summons.” Another woman said. She was older looking than the other one, also with white hair pulled into a slightly curled pony tail and bright yellow eyes. She was wearing an elegant long sleeve blue dress with eight gold rings separated by a belt with a gold buckle, with matching blue heels and black leggings and a blue hair band. She carried a purple book that said “Le Grimoire” on the front in gold lettering.

Timmy stopped. The two women were the first summons he’d met, and they seemed to know the most about the nature of his power. He’d wanted to ask, but had been scared of the answer. They’d been with him the longest and had explained about anything he’d asked about, and even suggested he learn everything he can about his summons. They were always there to help and seemed to always be with him, as they knew things the others didn’t about him and his daily life, so he’d taken to calling them his attendants.

“That would’ve been helpful to know. But, I kind of like doing it this way. It lets me see everything for myself. Thanks for the concern, Margaret.”

“Of course, Master.”

“You know, I’ve always wondered why you pull everything to the real world instead of visiting the-.” Elizabeth was quickly silenced by her older sister.

“Elizabeth,” Margaret said calmly but with a vicious tone, “Didn’t we agree that we would let him figure things out on his own unless he specifically asked?”

“Sorry… I forgot for a second.”

“Wait. Everything I summon is from a specific place where you guys live? I understand less about my power than before.” Timmy said.

Margaret sighed. “If you believe you are ready to learn about the true nature of your abilities you will have to summon a door.”

“I can summon- Okay.” Timmy sighed before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. When he opened them an intricately designed blue door was in front of him, completely detached from anything else.

“We’ll be waiting on the other side.” Elizabeth said playfully before she and her sister disappeared.

Timmy put his notebook down before stepping up to the door. He didn’t hesitate and stepped through it. He was met with a large blue lounge. There was a bar off to his right and set of large blue lounge chairs on the opposite side of the room. Near the wall across from where he entered was a large blue piano and with a microphone nearby and, while he could hear a beautiful song, there was no one on the instruments. He stepped further into the room and the door closed and disappeared behind him. He turned to see a large clock on the wall, but this part of the room was empty otherwise.

He spotted Margaret and Elizabeth and walked over to them. He immediately noticed the man who looked like the sisters and was dressed in what would be considered the male counterpart to Elizabeth’s outfit.

“Uh, Hi.” Timmy said.

“Master, glad you could make it!” Elizabeth joked. “This is out younger brother, Theodore.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Master.” Theodore bowed slightly.

“Same.” Timmy said.

“Theo, would you be a dear and make the master a drink?” Margaret asked.

“Of course.” Theodore said before moving over the bar. He returned as quickly as he’d left what appeared to be a mixed drink. “Non-alcoholic, I assure you.” Theodore said to the wary look Timmy gave the drink.

“Thank you.” Timmy said as he took a sip of the drink.

“Now that you’re comfortable, I believe I should begin my explanation,” Margaret said. As the oldest, it was no surprise this duty fell to her. “I think to start I should explain your abilities. In the simplest terms, what you summon are not necessarily apparitions of any kind, but your own creations. Everything you summon is a part of you more than anything. This room we’re in is a sort of hub for your inner world. You can do as you wish within this space and even pull things into reality. In addition to that, you have subconsciously created most of your summons.”

Timmy seemed to understand most of that. “That explains why I can summon gods.” Timmy remarked with a sip of his drink.

“Exactly! Their your interpretation of the things you’ve seen and read about them.” Elizabeth smiled.

“But then what about the armory? Or this room? Or you guys?”

“I will need to explain a bit more to answer those questions. To start, your ability is incredibly broad. It’s... I would describe it as Meta Summoning. You can summon whatever your heart desires, really. And one of the first things you created was Me.” Margaret explained. “Then my siblings followed shortly after. You wanted friends since yours had begun to abandon you. I believe this would be around the time you were starting fifth grade. With that red headed woman constantly torturing you and your parents being as neglectful as they are, you wished for a place to call home. You created where we are now. As for the armory, that’s a bit less heartbreaking. It’s mostly weapons you thought up or things you thought would be cool to have.”

“Wait, so how long have you guys been with me?” Timmy asked. His abilities hadn’t started showing up until late seventh grade, but Margaret said she had been here since fourth. Which meant…

“Around eight years.” Margaret confirmed.

“But I my powers didn’t show up until-.”

“Nearly eighth grade, yes.”

“What was happening during that time?”

“Lots of things.” Elizabeth said.

“Yes, many things. For one, you were having trouble manifesting anything. Likely a subconscious block of some kind.” Theodore said.

“There was also the fact that with such an abstract and unruly ability, you simply didn’t have what you needed to control it. The stamina, mental fortitude, or energy. If you’d realized your powers consciously sooner than you had, it’s likely you could have injured yourself. While I know this may be hard to hear, but you were never once what your world considers to be a cripple. You’re more like a late bloomer. It just took you longer to realize and become capable of wielding your power.” Margaret said.

“Wow… That’s kind of a lot to take in.” Timmy said.

“An understandable reaction.” Theodore said.

“Well, No use crying over it. What’s done is done. I do have a question about the music though.”

“Ah, yes, you wanted this place to have music, but never really got anything solid. It seems you heard a song somewhere that stuck with you, but you never came up with anyone to actually play it. So the instruments are there and the music plays, but there’s no one there to actually play it.” Margaret explained.

“Makes sense. I kind of like it. Adds and air of mystery to everything. Do you guys mind if I keep it that way?”

The three siblings were silent at this. They looked at one another with uncertain glances.

“Um…” Theodore started.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just…” Elizabeth started.

“You are the master here. Our input isn’t particularly necessary nor does it mean anything.” Margaret said.

“Nonsense. You guys spend the most time here, so it’s only natural I’d want to know what you’d want to have around.”

Once again the three were silent.

“If you say so.” Elizabeth started.

“I actually agree with you,” Theodore said. “It adds an air of mystery to the room that I quite enjoy.”

“As do I. I’ve grown quite accustomed to it, and I’m not sure how I’d feel with two more residents. Especially if they were only here to play music.” Margaret said.

“I’m okay with it.” Elizabeth said.

“Alright.” Timmy smiled and the siblings couldn’t help but get a warm feeling inside. “Well, I guess I should be leaving. Homework and all that. Before I go, you said you had everything in a book already. Would it be possible to compile your compendium with mine?”

“Of course. We’ll get right on that.” Margaret said.

“Thanks! See you later!” Timmy summoned the door much more casually this time.

“Master, before you leave…” Margaret said.

Timmy turned to look at them.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room.” The three siblings bowed slightly.

“Thanks.” Timmy said with a smile before heading back into his room. Where he was immediately met with Vicky stumbling over in shock.

“What the hell?!” Vicky shouted.

“Oh, hey.” Timmy said casually.

“What the fuck was that?” Vicky asked, still surprised.

“Um…” Timmy looked back at the blue door that quickly faded out of existence, “Part of my power. What are you doing in here?”

“I came up here to get you for dinner, but you weren’t here so I checked everywhere else and came back here when I couldn’t find you. What do you mean it’s part of your power?”

“Well, my ability is just really broad.”

“Yeah, you fucking god tiers all have broad powers.”

“Right, then don’t ask questions.” Timmy said holding his hand out to her.

Vicky was confused by this action, but realized she was still on the floor. She took his hand and her pulled her up a lot easier than she was expecting.

“Whatever. I got pizza.”

“Sweet.” Timmy said following her out the room.

—————

Timmy was walking outside after lunch. It was his free period so he didn’t really have much to do. He had some more classes after this, and he had to meet Trixie in the library after school. She seemed surprisingly more agreeable than she was yesterday. He hadn’t let his guard down, though, and figured she was up to something, he just couldn’t put his finger on it.

As Timmy passed an alleyway, which he often wondered the point of considering it was a school and chalked it up to bad design decisions, he was grabbed and tossed into the far wall. As he got up he was met with, as far as he was concerned, faceless lackeys.

“Well, well, look what we have here.” A green haired boy said.

“Looks like the cripple is getting smug.” A pink haired girl said.

“Well, more smug than usual.” A red haired boy said.

“Hey Turner. I think it’s time I pay you back for sending me out that window the other day.” Francis said.

“Francis, buddy, how ya been? Are you saying you didn’t enjoy your trip? I thought you were the thrill seeking type.” Timmy said.

“Don’t get snarky, cripple!” The girl snapped.

“Oh come on, don’t tell me you wouldn’t enjoy a nice free skydiving trip, pinky!”

Her face contorted into a sneer and a pink energy whip shot at him, which he dodged easily.

‘So mid tier at best. Nothing I can’t handle. Francis is the problem. Getting past him will be difficult.’ Timmy thought. The second he righted himself after the dodge, the green haired kid was on him. Timmy dodged by instinct, but took an energy blast from the red head.

Timmy dodged the next whip attack and countered the green speedster with a few quick hits in some soft spots before using him as a shield for the energy blast. The second he dropped his human shield he was slammed into the wall by Francis.

“Ow.” He said dryly as he slid down the wall. Before he could get up his arms were tied by the pink whip. “Oh, Kinky.” He was kicked in the face, “OW! Bitch! Take a fucking joke!” He said.

“Shut up!” The red head stomped on Timmy’s head and slammed his face to the ground.

“Hey, just because you have a face not even a mother could love doesn’t mean you have to give one to the rest of us!” Timmy said earning the ground another kiss.

“I said shut up!”

“That was a pretty good one.” The green boy said, earning him a smack.

“Listen up, Turner, It’s time for you to take your beating. No more jokes. Just pain!” Francis said.

“Before that, mind if I ask a question?” Timmy asked.

Francis shrugged. “Sure, let’s hear your pathetic last words.”

“Well, I’ve always wondered what compels you to do this. Bully the weak, I mean. Do you do it because it makes you feel better about not being a High or God tier? Is it societal expectations? You fall in line simply because this is what’s expected of you? Or is to to take out the frustration of being picked on by people stronger than you? Is it a way to let out the stress of living in fear of the higher tears? Or do you simply do it because you can and you enjoy seeing people in pain?” Timmy asked.

The four students were thoroughly disarmed by this line of questioning, some even dropping their hands completely to think.

“Holy shit…” Tad and Missy said from their places just outside the alley and the other side of the alley wall respectively.

Timmy used this opportunity to stand up and kick Francis and the girl in the groin, simultaneously removing the biggest threat and getting rid of his restraints. He made a dash for the exit, but was dropped by the speedster slamming into him.

“I have to admit, you really caught me off guard,” The red head said, “But it won’t happen again. Say your prayers.” He charged a beam and fired it at Timmy’s face, but it was intercepted by a circle of bright yellow light.

“What’s going on here?” Tad asked.

“T-Tad!” The green haired boy said.

“Answer me.”

“Nothing! Just… Putting the cripple in his place!” The red one said.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah!” He said feeling as if everything was okay.

“Well stop.”

“W-what?”

“I said leave him alone. Unless, of course, you want to take me on.”

“No! We’re leaving!” He said, signaling the others to follow him.

“You’re dead, Turner.” Francis whispered to Timmy as he passed by, still limping from the vicious attack on his manhood

“What was that?” Tad asked.

“Nothing!” Francis yelped, moving faster.

“I got to give him credit. That cut deep enough to give him time to attempt to escape. He definitely knows how to mess with people.” Missy said from the other side of the wall. “After all, psychological warfare is the next best thing.”

— 

Timmy met with Trixie in the library and they were quietly working on their project for the most part. It wasn’t due for another two weeks, which Timmy felt was far too much time but he wasn’t going to complain, so the library was largely empty. The two sat at a table stacked with books that helped prove their point. After a while, they’d both gotten tired and had decided to take a break.

“So,” Trixie started, “I was wondering something.”

Timmy looked at her inquisitively. This was the girl who had beat him half to death twice the day before. “Okay…” He said warily.

“What’s it like to be the lowest of the low? A cripple, I mean.” She phrased the question like she normally would if she weren’t trying to get close to him. Much to hr relief, it made him less wary of her.

“It’s fine.” He gave a non-committal shrug.

Trixie was taken aback by this.

“Excuse me?”

“I said it’s fine. Sure everyone is super mean, but no one expects anything of me. It’s actually the exact opposite of how you live.”

“… Huh…” Was all she could say. When she thought about it, he was right. A cripple and a God tier lived the exact opposite lives. One was looked down on and treated as barely human, while the other was treated like, well, a God. Where one would be beat and abused, the other was doing the beating and abusing. Where one was looked down upon and seen as a joke, the other was feared and respected.

“Why the sudden interest?”

“Hm?” She asked, coming out of thought.

“Why the sudden interest in what it’s like to not have powers?”

“Oh. Well you don’t act like the other low tiers. You’re so stubborn and hard headed that you even got me to let you participate in this project. I was wondering what made you different.”

“I mean, if you really want to know, I can tell you, but I think our world views are so opposed you might not really get it. Plus it cuts kind of deep.”

Trixie fumed at the idea she wouldn’t be able to understand something, but didn’t show it. “I’m sure I can handle it.” She said sarcastically.

“Well, not having powers is completely different from being a regular low tier. Like I said, no one expects anything. But more than that, It’s real freedom.”

“I’m free.”

“No you’re not.”

“What?”

“You’re not free. If anything, you’re more oppressed than I am.”

“… How so?” She cocked her head to the side, genuinely interested in what he had to say.

“Well,” Timmy leaned back in his chair, “You’re bogged down by expectations. You have to look and act perfect. You have to be perfect. If you aren’t people start talking. I mean, I’m sure you’ve heard the vicious things people were saying about the former Queen, right?”

She did. The Queen before her had been seen outside of school with a low tier and the rumor mill went absolutely bat shit. If it weren’t for how powerful and intimidating she was, she likely would’ve lost her spot as Queen.

“But I don’t have that. I can do what I want and people look at it and go, ‘Oh, it’s just that cripple at it again’. Or, ‘Wow, that’s pretty good for a cripple’. It’s almost like the virtue of being a pessimist. You’re either always right or pleasantly surprised. Sure I might have to worry about fights, but I can take on other low tiers and even a lot of the mid tiers with just my bare hands in a one on one.”

The idea was ludicrous to her, but she could see where he was coming from.

“Interesting.” She said.

The late bell rang, signaling for the end of extracurriculars, meaning they had to leave.

“Alright, well, it’s been real. I’m going to go home now. When should we meet up again?” Timmy asked.

“Day after tomorrow is fine.” Trixie said. “We should be finished with the books by the meeting after next, which just leaves the essays and presentation. You do your essay, I’ll make the power point and give you your topics.”

“Sure, fine.” Timmy said dismissively. It got on her nerves, but she was trying to be more agreeable.

“Also, here’s my number in case you have any questions.”

“Cool. I’ll text you later so you’ll have mine too.” He said, his heart beat rising a bit at having her number.

“Then see you.”

“Later.” Timmy said.

———

Timmy was walking through the mall on his way to buy a new game he wanted. He and Trixie were almost done with their project, and things had been going pretty well with her. Tad too, surprisingly. He’d started to let his guard down, but quickly put it back up. He’d known almost from the start what was going on. They were trying to get as much as they could on him. His interactions with Tad were more normal, but Trixie seemed to be warming up to him too quickly. He thought about the past week as he moved through the mall.

On Friday he’d run into Tad. Literally. He’d been walking along not really paying attention to his surroundings, he’d been thinking of ways to use his power now that he really understood it, when he slammed into Tad, sending the papers in his hands flying.

“Sorry.” Timmy said moving to pick up all the papers.

Tad let out an annoyed grunt, but bent down to help him. “Why are you carrying all this paper anyway?”

“You really don’t have to help. It’s just school stuff.” Timmy said moving quickly.

“You need a binder.” Tad said.

“Well I’ll be sure to get on that.” Timmy said.

“Whatever.” Tad said as he almost shoved the papers into Timmy before leaving.

The next week, on Tuesday he guessed, Tad saw him on the roof. Timmy was leaving, not wanting to run into a Royal, when Tad walked onto the roof.

“What are you doing here?” Tad asked.

“Nothing. Just leaving.” Timmy said quickly.

“Why were you up here in the first place?”

“I like it up here. It’s calming. I may have to worry about running into you guys, but the fresh air is usually worth it.”

“You are enigma, Turner. I don’t think I’ll ever understand you. And that’s not a compliment.”

“I didn’t think so.”

“What I will complement you on is your bravery. Coming up here constantly despite knowing what could happen. That takes some serious balls.”

“Oh…” Timmy was surprised at the compliment. “Thanks.”

“But don’t read too much into it.”

“Right.” Timmy said, quickly leaving the roof.

The day after that he’d run into Tad again, once again sending papers flying. Tad growled and helped him, but there was no conversations. The following day there was.

“Turner.” Tad called out, almost annoyed.

“Uh, what’s up?” Timmy asked.

“Here.” He shoved a binder into Timmy.

“What’s this?”

“A binder, you fuck. You had better start using it.”

“Oh. You really didn’t have to.”

“Fucking take it. If you bump into me again and your papers go flying I’m going to torch them.”

“Understood.” Timmy said.

As he walked into the game store he looked around before finding what he was looking for. He picked it up but decided to browse the other games to see if he could find anything else. As he did this he mused over his fewer but more friendly interactions with Trixie. They had only met twice more after their first session and she seemed more friendly each session.

“Timmy,” That was new, she never called him by his first name, though almost no one did, “Are you almost done?” Trixie asked.

“Yeah, just… This is really interesting.” Timmy said.

“What are you reading?” She asked.

“It’s just a section going over the intricacies of pirates. I knew Black beard was crazy, but the things this book says he did are way beyond my expectations.”

“How long have you been reading that?”

“Only a few minutes. I came across it once I finished filling out the worksheet.”

“Hm… Hey, Timmy, I wanted to ask about what you said last time.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, putting the book down.

“About how you said you have more freedom than I do.”

“Oh. Well, that’s how I see things. What did you want to know specifically?”

“I know you’ve had to wonder about having an ability. If you did have one, do you think you’d want to be High tier?”

Timmy thought for a moment on how to answer this question. “You know, I have wondered, but I’m not entirely sure. If I had an ability I wouldn’t be the same person I am, therefore I wouldn’t think the same way. As I am now, I don’t mind being a low tier. If I was raised with an ability, the same way everyone else was, then I’d definitely want to be a High tier. That’s where all the power and respect is. That’s what the other students long for. The power and respect and fear you and the other Royals get. But I don’t. I’d rather just be plain old me. I don’t want people’s fear or respect, I just want to live how I want.”

“And you don’t think we high tiers get to live how we want?”

“I mean, you do, but like I said last time, you guys have reputations to uphold. Any time you break social expectations people talk.”

“But we don’t live in fear.”

“Not the same type of fear. If you didn’t live in fear you would do what you wanted when you wanted regardless of what other people said about you.”

“But that would completely disrupt not only the social order, but order in general! It would be absolute chaos!”

“I’m not saying you should go out and do whatever you wanted, but I’m saying you shouldn’t let peoples perceptions of you affect you so much.”

The bell rang and the two students packed up.

“Well, I need to get home. These conversations are pretty interesting. Maybe next time you can explain your point of view. Later.” Timmy said.

“What an odd person you are, Timmy Turner. If things had turned out differently… No. No point on dwelling what could have been.”

He’d actually caught that last part because he wasn’t that far away. That line actually almost had his guard down, but he quickly reminded himself what she was playing at. The next conversation with her had him confused. He couldn’t remember too much of it because Trixie had been flirty, and it disturbed him. She’d asked him out. Well, she’d asked to hang out. Which was why he was currently leaving the game store of a mall he’d never been too before. It was won in the last Turf Wars match. He was supposed to meet Trixie at a Boba place in five minutes. Luckily it wasn’t far. He knew the only reason she’d invited him to this mall in particular was because no one they knew would see them.

“Timmy!” She waved him over to her table. She was dressed in all name brand gear. Even the pink Hair band she’d kept from elementary was name brand.

“Hey, Trixie.” He smiled as he sat down. “Hope you didn’t have to wait long.”

“No. I actually saw you in the game store in the way here.”

“Ah. You should’ve said something.”

“No. I figured I’d let you enjoy your nerd time.” She giggled. Even she was surprised she didn’t put any vitriol behind the comment.

“Well, thanks. I only went to pick up one game in particular, but I ended up getting another.”

“What are they?”

“Just a fighting game and a dancing game.”

“Dancing game?” Fighting she could understand but dancing?

“They’re a lot of fun and a real work out. If you’re interested I can point you to a Dance It Up cab for relatively cheap.”

“It’s a dancing game, but it’s also a work out?”

“Oh yeah. It can tire you out quick depending on the difficulty.”

“Hello! Are you two ready to oder?” The waitress asked.

“Oh, yeah, can I have a strawberry milk tea with Boba.” Trixie said.

“Of course. And for you?” She turned to Timmy.

“Um… I’ll have the Vanilla Iced Coffee with Boba, Please.” Timmy said.

“Okay, that’ll be up in a few.” She smiled and left.

“Coffee?” Trixie asked.

“I like coffee.” Timmy shrugged.

“It’s almost noon.”

“I like coffee.” Timmy said again.

“Alright.” Trixie shrugged with a small grin. She’d been finding it easier and easier to pretend to be nice to him as time went on. Maybe it was because she was getting to know him better, or maybe it was because she wasn’t really acting. She did find him incredibly intriguing, and he only became more so the more they talked. His philosophy was odd to her, but him as a person was odd. Not that she particularly minded odd, but she did mind disrupting her domain. This is what it always came back to for her. No matter how much she felt she could be his actual friend, he was a cripple and didn’t fall in line. The entire point of her interactions with him was to figure him out so she could knock him into place. A fact she never forgot, but did have to remind herself of when she felt she was getting too close to being genuine.

Missy cursed as she pulled into the parking garage of the mall. She’d been staking out Timmy’s house once again, just to keep watch on him. It might be the weekend, but a reporters job was never done. She was expecting to have to tail him to his meet up with Trixie, but when she saw him suddenly disappear from the house, she was stunned. She immediately called Tootie to ask which mall he was supposed to be at. Tootie asked why and she had to explain that he disappeared from his house. After a few minutes of back and forth, and a bit of swearing and insults that hit a little close to home, Tootie gave her the address.

Traffic to that side of town was hell and it had taken her nearly an hour to get there. Luckily there was parking to spare, something that was uncommon at her usual mall, and she made it inside to spot her target leaving a Boba cafe.

Thee rest of the day was largely uneventful. She watched as the two walked around and talked and visited stores. Most where stores Trixie liked, while a few were neutral and fewer were what Timmy was interested in. When it finally seemed like they were about to leave, something unexpected happened.

“Which way did you park?” Trixie asked.

“Huh? Oh. I didn’t drive here. My car is in the shop, so I just took a Super.” Timmy said. An obvious lie to Missy who had been watching him.

“Oh. Well why don’t I give you a ride?” Trixie offered. That was unexpected.

“No, really, it’s no problem. I was planning to just take one back.”

“But why spend the money when you don’t have to? Let me take you home.” Trixie was oddly adamant about this, but Missy figured it was part of her act.

“Really, Trixie, it’s-.”

“I’m driving you home.” She said stubbornly before grabbing his hand and pulling him in the direction of her car.

“She’s a really good actor.” Missy said, heading towards her own car.

The ride back to his house was quiet, save the radio playing songs he could barely tolerate. Trixie hadn’t asked him much, and he didn’t say much either. Her car was nice, expensive, and comfortable. Yet he felt extremely out of place and uncomfortable. Maybe it was being locked in a tube with someone he didn’t trust, or maybe it was his feelings for her, either way he breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped out of her car. They exchanged goodbyes and she pulled off when he reached his door.

“Where have you been? I didn’t even know you left.” Vicky said as he entered the house.

“Out to the mall.”

“You don’t have friends.”

“I don’t. But the Royals are trying something so they want to get close to me.”

“What did you do to piss of the Royals?”

“One too many interactions with the queen. She beat me half to death twice in one day for not following her orders.”

“Explain.”

“I’m in the same English class as her and we got partnered. She told me to stay out of her way while she did the work. I told her no. What made her snap was when I said my grades were nearly as good as hers. So she beat me up for a while. Then at lunch a less than an hour and a half later she kicked me through a concrete wall because she wanted the dessert I had, but instead of letting her take it from me I dropped it on the floor.”

“You are just… You’re lucky you can do what you can.”

“Yup.” Timmy said. “Anyway, I’m going upstairs. Later.”

“Yeah.” Vicky said.

————

It was Wednesday. It should have just been any other day where he was home alone. Key word should. It wasn’t Timmy’s average Wednesday afternoon because he was currently sneaking around his house holding and aluminum bat so tight his hands hurt. You’d be right to ask how he got to this point. Timmy had asked himself that many times in the last hour. Well, it started as an average Wednesday.

Timmy had woken up on time, and made it out the door and to school slightly early. He’d been harassed like always, managing to get out of it with just some minor scrapes and bruises. He’d had an interaction with Tad that bordered on antagonistic. He and Trixie spent English class prepping for their presentation the next day. At lunch he ate alone like usual and went for Blueberry Cheesecake instead of the Strawberry Shortcake to avoid getting kicked through another wall, and also because he wanted to actually get to eat his dessert this time. He spent his free period in the music room to avoid a chance interaction with a Royal. Then, finally, he came home to his empty house. Vicky worked today so that left him alone for at least four hours, two of which passed normally.

It was at this point that he’d heard some one breaking through the front door. Not wanting to draw attention to himself he slowly peeked out his door and found someone coming up the stairs. He closed his door and moved to his closet. He kept a bat in there from when his parents tried to get him to play baseball. He kept it because he liked to hit the batting cages every so often. It was also useful for situations like the one he was in. He heard footsteps approaching his door and quickly moved into the corner behind it.

His door opened and a man stepped in holding a knife. Timmy felt chills run down his spine. These people were out for blood. Once the man was all the way in the room Timmy closed the door and slammed the bat into the mans knife wielding arm, breaking it. Before he could really scream, Timmy jumped and used the bat to choke the man. There was a struggle, but Timmy managed to take him down. He could’ve done it the easy way and just bashed him in the face, but he wasn’t trying to kill anyone. He grabbed some belts from his closet and bound the mans arms and legs, as well as using one as a gag.

Once done he tried to call the cops, but he couldn’t get a signal.

“Fan-fucking-tastic. They have a signal jammer.” Timmy sighed. He’d have to do this the hard way. “Prometheus.” He whispered.

A black orb large enough for him to fit in appeared. The outside was covered intricately designed multicolored lines that vaguely formed a smiley face. Without another word a map of the house and the live locations of the intruders was displayed in his head. There were six in total, which meant five more.

“Well, isn’t that just great.” He sighed before stepping out of the room. The closest person was in his parents bathroom. He moved quickly and silently, dropping them to a their knees with a hit to the leg before using his body weight to nearly drown him in the toilet.

Luckily the next two went down just as easily. He knocked one out by using a towel as a garrote and the other caught him, but was met with the same fate.

And that’s how he got to where he was, sneaking down the first floor hallway with his bat. His next target was coming out of the basement, but Timmy met him at the door and kicked him back down the stairs. Before he could go down to finish the job he was caught again. He cursed to himself and threw the bat, hitting the final intruder square in the face. The man doubled over in pain and Timmy dashed to him, wrapping around him like a constrictor and choking him out. The guy who got knocked down the stairs came back just in time for Timmy to kick him down the stairs again. This time he followed him and knocked the man out.

He came back to the living room to find Vicky. Either she was home early, or he’d taken longer than he thought to sweep the house. Either way she had food.

“What the hell happened in her?”

“Home invasion. What’d you get?” He asked.

“Mexican. You fought off a home invasion alone? Did you… You know?”

“Only to find out where they were. You got me a burrito right?”

“Yeah…. Why are you being so nonchalant about this? Why didn’t you call the cops?”

“I tried. They had a signal jammer. I was about to go call them.” Timmy walked past her outside to do just that.

Missy was in hysterics. She couldn’t believe what she’d just seen. Six men just broke in and he remained calm and cool and took them all out the best he could. He didn’t even really use an ability. There was that weird orb thing that was floating in his room for a bit, but it didn’t really do anything but float there. She couldn’t believe the cripple had taken out six mid tiers with no problem. She couldn’t help but see this as the shining example of guerrilla warfare. She quickly called Tootie and told her what she’d seen. The news was met with an incredulous session of questioning, but she eventually convinced her boss.

——

“This is just fucking ridiculous.” Chad said as he looked over the report. “There’s no way he did this. He just can’t have.”

“Calm down, Chad. The fact of the matter is that he did do it.” Trixie said.

“Bet he wouldn’t be able to do it if you sent High tiers next time.” Tad said.

“We don’t even know what his ability is. All we know is that Missy can’t pinpoint what it does.” Veronica chimed in.

“But we’ve confirmed he’s not a cripple and that’s all that matters for now. Now we need to get him to use his powers.”

“How do you suppose we do that?” Chad asked.

“Well, the mostly likely way is to implement what I originally had planned.” Trixie said.

“So beat him down until he uses it.”

“Right.”

“But what if he’s stronger than us?” Veronica asked, getting the attention of everyone else. “According to these reports he can heal pretty much any damage instantly, at least teleport, and I have no idea what to call the last incident Missy reported. That orb seems suspicious. It’s possible it’s some kind of scanner ability with the way she says he was moving directly from target to target, only getting caught off guard while fighting.”

“… I always forget she’s not an idiot.” Chad said.

“Hey!” Veronica yelled.

“Veronica could be right. We’ve got reports of him using at least three distinct abilities, two of which we’ve all but confirmed with our own eyes. He’d never willingly show us what he can do if he’s pretended to be a cripple for so long.” Tad said.

“Like I said, we have to push him to the edge. Make it so the only way out is to use the full extent of his abilities.” Trixie said. Veronica opened her mouth to speak, but Trixie quickly dismissed her friends concerns. “It’s not likely he’s stronger than us. At least not me. I doubt he has the ability to wipe an entire group of Royals alone.”

“And if he does?” Veronica asked.

The group was silent. No one had an answer for that.

“He won’t be.” Tad said. “We’re also going to have more people there to whittle him down.”

“Who should we bring?” Chad asked.

“I already know of one person who wants a piece of Turner.” An evil grin stretched across Tad’s face. “It’s just a matter of finding two more.”

“I’ve got a couple in mind.” Trixie said.

“Oh, do tell.”

“Ah ah. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise. Tad, I need you to get him to Turf Wars on Friday.”

“Can do.” Tad said.

“Great. Meeting adjourned.”

————

Timmy was sitting up on his usual spot on the roof. He was having a chat with Margaret about the situation he was in.

“I think this is taking too long. Why haven’t they made a move yet?” Timmy asked.

“I believe that home invasion the other day was their move.”

“That makes sense. But it doesn’t seem like the big move. Too impersonal, you know? If they wanted to do something major, they’d make sure I knew it was them, no doubts.”

“I believe they were testing the waters, Master. You did notice you’ve been getting tailed these last few weeks, yes?”

“Of course. She wasn’t particularly subtle about it. That’s why I’ve been more careful about the way I handle certain things. But I’m pretty sure she saw me use something at least once. If they didn’t already suspect me before, they definitely do now.”

“What’s your plan for a counter?”

“I don’t really have a good one that doesn’t involve showing my hand.”

“Maybe it’s time to do so. These are people that can’t be reasoned with. Their indoctrination into this system is too ingrained. The only answer they really understand is strength. I don’t believe anything short of a vulgar display of power will get them to truly understand.”

Timmy sighed. “I realize that. I just wish it weren’t true.”

The door to the roof opened and Margaret quickly disappeared. Timmy lay down to avoid whoever it was noticing him. Unfortunately, the person was looking for him in particular.

“I know you’re up there, Turner.” Tad said.

Timmy was silent. He was going to act like he wasn’t. He couldn’t risk slipping into the Velvet Room for risk of someone spotting him.

“Turner, if you don’t come down here we’re going to have a serious problem.”

Timmy sighed. No way out of this one. He got up and moved to the edge of his hiding place, sitting to look at Tad.

“Hi Tad.”

“Get down here.”

Timmy jumped down and landed without a problem.

“What can I do for you?”

“Nothing much. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out after school.”

“Uh…” This was it. The big one. He could feel it. “Sure. I don’t see why not.” He said.

“Excellent. What do you want to do about your car?”

“Oh, uh… I didn’t drive today. Car’s in the shop.”

“Still?”

“Yeah, it’s a serious problem. Could cost a ton.” He figured Trixie told Tad about his excuse.

“Alright then. Just meet up with me after school.”

Missy wasn’t really sure what was happening, but she thought it must be something serious if Tad was driving Turner somewhere. She immediately reported to Tootie.

“It’s been long enough. They’re probably going to try their plan today. Let’s tail them and see what happens. Whatever it is, it’ll make a juicy story.” Tootie smiled.

“Alright.”

“Great. Don’t bring a flash camera or anything, just to be safe.”

“Please. I’m no amateur.”

“I didn’t say you were.” Tootie said.

Timmy was sitting in Tad’s car silently, lamenting that the blonde had a similar taste in music as Trixie. They hadn’t really said anything to one another for the entire trip. Timmy was wondering where they were going when he realized the route was familiar.

“Where are we going, anyway?” Timmy asked dully.

“Turf wars.” Tad said casually.

“You can’t be serious. Why would you take someone like me to Turf wars?”

“Relax, Turner. It’s not a match. I just had some business to attend to there and it’s easier to bring you with me.”

Timmy could tell this was a bold faced lie. He played it off with a nervous laugh. “If you say so.”

‘Too easy.’ Tad shook his head.

Timmy spent the rest of the ride mentally preparing himself for what was to come. He knew it wasn’t going to be any kind of good.

His assumption was quickly proven right.

As he and Tad walked into the arena he spotted the other Royals and three others. Two he knew immediately. Francis and Remy. They’d been two of the biggest thorns in his side for a long time. The third was a girl he only vaguely aware of. She had black hair with bangs covering her right eye. She was dressed in the school uniform but with a Gothic flare and black nail polish.

“There you are, Tad. I was starting to think you weren’t going to make it.” Trixie said.

Timmy was silent. He’d only really been expecting the Royals. His eyes narrowed as he looked over the group. The Royals likely weren’t going to fight him until after he was done with the other three. He knew what Francis and Remy could do, but not Molly. His best guess was something to do with shadows, which put her at a slight disadvantage because the arena was well lit and the shadows didn’t stretch.

“Well? Do you like your welcoming party, Turner? You weren’t expecting this were you?” Tad gloated about his and the others victory.

Timmy tuned out as the blond kept talking. He was sizing up the threat the group posed. He heard Tad and the others laugh, but just threw his jacket off and rolled up his sleeves. They said something else, likely about his getting ready to fight, but he was forming a game plan.

Francis was going to be the toughest. Whatever Molly did would likely be to disrupt or disorient him long enough for Remy to lock him down with ice so Francis could go in for a powerful attack. He surprised everyone in the room by dashing forward. He made it look like he was going for Remy, who stood still with a cocky smirk on his face.

When he got close, he tuned on a dime and attacked Molly, folding her over his fist like a lawn chair. He followed it up with a rising knee to the face. As he landed he slipped on ice. He fell to the ground and saw Francis diving towards him, foot first. He did his best to move, but found himself frozen to the floor. He took the devastating blow and it knocked the wind out of him. He was picked up and held in the air before a punch to the stomach sent him flying into the arena wall. Before he could peel himself out several ice shards lodged themselves into him.

“Aw, is that it?!” Chad asked.

“Come on, Turner! We didn’t pretend to be your friend for a month and half just to have you go out like this! Put up some more fight!” Tad shouted.

Francis approached Timmy ready to attack again. Timmy waited until he got close and slashed his face with an ice shard. Francis cursed, and punched Timmy in the face, who fell to the floor and immediately felt his movement cease. Molly was back up.

“Well, I guess that’s all we’re getting out of this.” Chad said.

“You know, Turner, things could have gone a lot better for you.” Tad said.

“Like, all you had to do was show us what you’re capable of.” Veronica said.

“Is that really all you had to offer?” Remy asked, stepping on Timmy’s head. “And here I thought we were actually going to have to put up a fight.”

“I don’t really care. As long as the peasant learns his place.” Francis kicked him in the stomach.

“Timmy.” Trixie started, shocking a few people that she used his name. “I don’t think you really believe in your philosophy.”

“And what makes you say that?” Timmy asked.

“Shut up.” Remy stomped on him.

“You say you don’t really care about the social hierarchy, but you adhere to it most of the time. Sure there are instances of disobedience, but you usually try to avoid angering people.”

“I don’t really enjoy fighting. Path of least resistance and all that.” Timmy said.

“That’s just the thing. If you really believed you were fine at the bottom and weren’t oppressed you wouldn’t be taking the path of least resistance. You’d do what you wanted like you say we should.” Trixie said.

“Have you ever considered you’re all just terrible people?!” Timmy snapped, earning him a kick from Francis.

“Explain.”

“I fucking hate all of you!” Timmy said. “You’re all such cocky, self important, narcissistic, fart smelling sacks of shit! You walk around like you’re gods fucking gift to the world when you’re nothing more than a golden bag of trash! Your powers make you all so conceited it’s ridiculous! I hate all of you so much and I don’t want to end up like any of you! I’d rather die than turn out like any of you!”

Everyone was silent. The Royals had obvious looks of distaste on their faces.

“Chad was right. Next time I should send High tiers to break into your house. Maybe while your parents are home. Francis, Remy, grant his wish.” Trixie said bitterly.

“Gladly!” The two boys said in unison. Before they could attack a burst of wind flowed around Timmy.

“No… Absolutely not! You do not get to threaten my family!” Timmy shouted as he easily broke out of his restraints, knocking his assailants away as he floated in the air.

The crowd gasped as a bird woman in a white dress floated behind him and his wounds disappeared like they never happened.

“Now this is what I wanted to see!” Tad said.

“Fine! You want a show that bad? Here’s your fucking show! But know you’re next.” Timmy said.

“What are you going to do, Turner? Heal us to death?” Remy asked. He was surprised to see the cripple wasn’t actually a cripple, but this seemed to be part of the Royals plan.

“Surt!” A tall figure with dark skin and red lines with a flaming sword appeared behind Timmy. Before anyone could react pillars of black fire engulfed everyone in the arena except Timmy.

Up in the stands the Royals were in shock. This wasn’t what they were expecting.

Higher up in the shadows Tootie and Missy watched in shock as Timmy torched his torturers. This turned out to be more interesting than they thought.

Molly could hardly breathe after the flames died. She was in more pain than she’d ever remembered being in. Her skin wasn’t damaged at all, but the pain was deep. She could feel it in the very fiber of her being. She would be screaming her lungs out if not for the fact that she’d already screamed her throat sore. The last thing she saw was a large foot before she was out.

Remy wasn’t faring too much better. His ice protected him for the most part, but he was still in pain from the blast. He was breathing heavy and was hunched over. Turner turned out to be more powerful than he thought. He panted heavily while Turner was decided what to do next.

Francis seemed mostly fine. His skin was shining and he was hiding how much that blast hurt.

Timmy stepped over Molly and moved towards the remaining two assailants.

“Armory.” He said, causing a wall of weapons to appear, once again shocking everyone. He grabbed a large axe with a U shape between the blades and the weapons disappeared. Timmy started to swing his blade and said, “Tsukuyomi.”

The group blinked and Timmy was behind Remy, slamming the axe into him, pushing him forward. Timmy teleported in front of him and knocked him into the air with the axe, before appearing above him and knocking him towards the ground.

“Yoshitsune!” Timmy said, causing a jester in armor to appear and attack Remy before he hit the ground. The attack looked like a single slash, but Remy was covered in cuts as he hit the ground. Timmy landed and traded his axe for a sword as he approached Remy.

“Okay, Turner! You win! I’m sorry! Just stop!”

“Shut up!” Timmy said.

“Please! You’ve won!” Remy cried as Timmy stepped on his back.

“I said shut up!” Timmy stabbed Remy in the shoulder, pinning him to the ground and apparently knocking him out from pain. Everyone was shocked at the newfound brutality.

Trying to catch his prey off guard Francis charged at Timmy.

“Rangda.” Timmy said. The second Francis impacted him, he was blown away by some invisible force.

Not one to lose, Francis charged again, slamming his fist into Timmy’s face, only to have it rebound onto him and knock him back.

“What the hell are you?” Francis asked, backing away as Timmy advanced on him.

“How do you like a taste of your own medicine, Francis? Now you know what it’s like to take a hit from you. Not very pleasant is it?” Timmy said.

“You’re some kind of monster!”

“No! I’m not the monster here! All I’ve ever wanted was to be left alone! I didn’t want trouble! I didn’t bother other people! You’re the ones who constantly came after me! You people are the monsters!” Timmy said.

“Get away from me!”

“Reaper!” A large ghost looking person appeared with it’s face covered and chains crossing it’s body and two guns in it’s hands. Timmy pointed and the Reaper aimed it’s gun before letting out a shot. The bullet hit Francis and dented his metal exoskeleton as it sent him flying into the wall of the arena, pinning him there. His power deactivated as he passed out.

“So which one of you is next?” Timmy looked up at the Royals.

Veronica wasn’t a fighter. It was in her title that she wasn’t. So it made sense that she was cowering behind Trixie at the moment. Trixie had a hard look on her face while Tad and Chad looked shocked. When no one answered him Timmy sent the Reaper away and sighed.

“How about we do this like Turf Wars. We’ll even do it one on one so Trixie can figure out any plan she has won’t work. Chad, you went first last time, so how about you continue that trend.”

“You were watching our last Turf War?!” Trixie shouted.

“Do you want to go first and save me the trouble of dealing with the other two piles of trash? Or do you want to have a 3v1 so you’ll actually have some non negative chance of winning.” Timmy said.

Trixie gave him a mix of a scowl and a glare. “Chad, you’re up.” Trixie said.

Chad hadn’t really been listening since he saw Turner just stab someone. But he did hear Trixie give the order to go fight him. He took a deep breath as he got up and entered the ring. Just because he hadn’t heard anything, didn’t mean he wasn’t paying attention. He had a plan. Turner always called out a name before something showed up, so all he had to do was crate a sound barrier so Turner could call any names out.

“Whenever you’re ready.” Timmy said.

Chad scowled for a second before his barrier was up. He dashed in at tried to hit Timmy who called for a summon, but seemed confused he couldn’t hear his voice.

“That’s right! Your summons won’t come if you can’t speak! That’s your weakness! You’ll pay for getting cocky!” Chad yelled as he closed more distance.

Just before he could hit Timmy a floating white skeleton in white robes holding a trumpet appeared. A violent sound erupted and sent Chad flying back as it destroyed his barrier.

“So you’re more attentive than you look. That was a trick. I don’t have to actually say anything for my wards to appear. It’s more… I just like to say it.” Timmy explained as a new summon appeared. It had black and white stripes with large horns and was sitting atop a large golden sword. Before Chad could even begin to think about what was happening a white orb formed above the thing and shot at him. He couldn’t dodge, only watch the white laser hit him. He was out before he hit the wall.

“You’ll pay for that, Turner.” Tad said as he hopped into the ring. He wasted no time throwing spears of lighting at Timmy.

His summon switched to another humanoid, this time black and red holding a spear of some kind. Before the light spears could get close they were knocked out of the air by bolts of lightning. A black pool formed under Tad and he rolled out of the way before it erupted. The summon switched again to a woman in shining armor with a sword and a mirror hanging in the air behind her.

Tad ran as bolts of light, his own god damn power, flew at him. He dodged and decided to run straight at Timmy, too pumped with adrenaline to realize this was what he planned. As he neared Timmy with Spears of light forming behind him, the summon moved in front of him, the mirror glowing. Before he could react he was blasted away by a beam of light. He was down and in pain, but he wasn’t knocked out.

“Guess it’s just me and you now, Trixie.” Timmy said.

Trixie was not having a good time. This is not how things were supposed to go. Timmy wasn’t supposed to be strong enough to wipe a team of Royals. He wasn’t supposed to be strong enough to beat Remy and especially not Francis. The low amount of effort he’d put into absolutely annihilating her forces wasn’t speaking well to her chances of success. But she controlled Gravity, one of the four universal forces. What could he possibly have to beat that?

Trixie floated down to the arena and stood opposite to Timmy, who stilled looked angry.

“You won’t beat me.” She said.

Timmy felt an incredible weight on him as Trixie stared at him. It only grew and grew as the seconds passed until he was on the verge of kneeling. Instead, he slipped into the ground as a patch of darkness appeared beneath him.

Trixie only had a split second to think about what had happened before a hand shot from nowhere and grabbed her face. Timmy appeared and slammed her to the ground. He reared his fist back for a punch, but she sent him flying through the air before slamming him into the ground. She kept increasing the pressure, but he was gone again. Suddenly She was surrounded by darkness so thick she couldn’t see her hand when it touched her face. Then came the pain. Like the sheer act of standing there was what was causing the damage. She moved as quickly as she could to find a way out, but it felt like moving through a pool of knives. The pain only grew as she moved and she didn’t stop until it hurt too much. Once she stopped again the darkness dissipated to show she was in the same spot.

“You said you didn’t want to be like us,” Trixie started, trying to hide how much pain she was in, “But look around you! You’re acting just like us! You were needlessly brutal!”

“Needlessly?! Are you fucking kidding me! You all have put me through so much worse! This isn’t even a tenth of the pain you and the others have put me through! If anything I should be more brutal! But I-.”

“Keep telling yourself that! You think you’re a good person! You’re not! You’re a coward! You hide behind the moniker of cripple to avoid your responsibility to society! You don’t want to be judged! You’re afraid! So you act like something you’re not to avoid everything else that comes with your power!”

“Not wanting to be a part of your stupid system doesn’t make me a coward! I just want to live my life free of all your bullshit! All I ask is that you leave me alone!”

“You’re a coward and someone that has no respect for society! The world runs a certain way for a reason! There’d be chaos if people weren’t kept in line! People like you are dangerous! You go against everything the system stands for! You don’t deserve your power! People like you shouldn’t have power!”

“None of that matters. I’ve won. By your system, I’m right. Leave me alone.” Timmy said. He was suddenly brought to his knees by Trixie’s power.

“I’ll tell everyone about you! You’ll be sent to a reeducation center! Everyone will know what you’re capable of!” Trixie stood. She had to force herself not to flinch at the look he gave her.

“Then I’ll get rid of you! Izanami!” He shouted, floating into the air.

Trixie watched in awe as a beautiful woman in a white dress appeared before she gave way to a woman in a full body straight jacket with a red X on her face and flowing black hair that defied gravity. From the waist down was a large dress that looked similar to the collar of a mens dress shirt and another red loop around the middle of it. It changed again as the straight jacket and dress opened to reveal a horrific rotting woman made of bone. Her upper half looked like a regular humanoid despite the horrific zombie like appearance, but the bottom was all bone and hardly resembled a human in more than bone placement with it’s multitude of arms.

“W-what is that?!” Trixie asked, backing away.

“Thousand Curses!” Timmy shouted.

A black pool formed under Trixie. It was thick and kept her in place like tar. Then hands suddenly started popping from the goop and grabbing her as they dragged her down.

“Wait! Timmy! I’m sorry! Please don’t do this! I won’t tell anyone! Please don’t kill me!” Trixie cried, actual tears forming in her fearful eyes as she was pulled into who knew what god forsaken place.

Timmy only heard the first half of her plea as he looked at the look of actual fear on her face.

“Stop!” He shouted, feeling disgusted with himself. “Stop… This… This isn’t us. This isn’t me.” Timmy said. Izanami stopped and Trixie returned to normal like nothing ever happened.

“T-thank you! I-.” Trixie started.

“Shut up!” Timmy shouted. “Things went farther than I wanted them to, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still angry.” He kicked her over and stepped on her face. “If you tell anyone about what happened here today, I’ll upend everything you care about in life. Understood?”

“Y-yes.”

Timmy walked over to the semi-conscious Tad and kicked him in the stomach to wake him up before stomping his face into the ground.

“And you. If this gets out, I’ll dethrone you.” Timmy said.

“Understood.” Tad said.

Without a word Timmy called for a door to open and walked through it, leaving everyone in stunned silence.

Up in the stands Missy and Tootie were trying to figure out what to do. They didn’t want to see the fall out if the truth of this day got out, but it was also their duty to report what happened. While Trixie and Tad decided what got published and what didn’t, that was only because they were the strongest in school. What did it mean for them now that it was revealed that they weren’t?


	5. Ultraviolet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of two Naruto stories I wrote based off of one of my favorite manga, Psyren. Pretty basic "Naruto has sibling who's more important because they have the 9tails" story with the twist of Naruto having PSI instead of Chakra and his relationship with his siblings is good

Naruto was sitting in a small park not too far from his family home. He was trying to meditate to the best of his ability to help him unlock his chakra despite his knowing it was all in vain. He’d learned when he was six, two years ago, that he couldn’t be a ninja because he didn’t have chakra. Not that he couldn’t mold chakra, or his chakra coils were too small, or even that he just didn’t have enough chakra, no, he had no chakra network at all. Of course it was hard for him to see his sisters get to go to a ninja school when that was all he wanted. His father being the Hokage and his mother being a former high level ninja.

Now she was retired and home schooled him. His parents were so overprotective of him because he couldn’t use chakra. It was understandable that they would worry because of their enemies, but he almost never was allowed out of the house unless his mother was with him. She’d coddled him to the point were his sisters were jealous of all the attention he got, despite getting specialized training from both of their parents. He didn’t even know any other kids because he was stuck inside with his mom so often. Which was why he enjoyed the few times he was allowed out without her immensely.

Of course he still wanted to be a ninja and when you tell a child they can’t do something they of course try to do that thing. So Naruto spent all of his free time trying to unlock a power he didn’t have. He wasn’t sure why he was still trying despite knowing it was impossible, but something in him just wouldn’t allow him to give up until something happened.

Little did he know that today would be the day.

It was quiet since all the other kids were at school and he was going through his normal routine of trying to unlock his chakra. He was looking deep within himself for something that he knew wasn’t there. He sat still, not moving as the wind passed over him, eyes closed as he ignored the serene green park around him. He had no idea how long he was sitting there, he didn’t really care, but for the first time he felt something. It was a slight tugging feeling, but not from in his stomach like the books said, no, it was in his head. He followed the feeling, not really sure what it was or where it was going. He tugged back and felt something give a bit, but not enough for anything to happen. When he finally felt like he was getting somewhere he had to stop, a headache suddenly overcoming him.

Naruto opened his eyes to find his nose bleeding and a tall woman with looking down at him with a smirk. She had dark blue hair in a messy bob with a full fringe. She wore a purple short sleeved sweater shirt under a black jacket that reacher her knees with the middle two buttons done to leave her legs and decent sized chest exposed. Under that she wore a pair of black short shorts, dark purple thigh highs and black calf high boots.

“You’re not going to get very far like that, kid.” She said, sitting down in front of him.

“Who are you?” Naruto managed through his massive headache.

“Call me Sachiko. The power you’re trying to use can be really dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“The power?”

“It’s called Psi. Psychic abilities like moving things with your mind or reading other peoples minds. You were sending out psi waves like crazy and that’s how I found you. You have a major headache right now, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Rest a few minutes and I’ll tell you everything.”

Naruto nodded and lied back in the grass. The headache and nosebleed stopped after a few minutes and he sat up to see the woman meditating.

“Okay, so what’s going on again?” Naruto asked.

“I’m Sachiko. Sachiko Takemi. The power you were trying to use earlier is very dangerous without a proper understanding of what you’re doing. You nearly overtaxed yourself pulling me here.”

“I pulled you here?”

“Not literally. Like I said, you were letting off psi waves like an ocean and essentially called every other psi user, or psychicer, in a five hundred foot radius right to you. That little tug you gave off was essentially you calling out to me specifically.”

“Oh… Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. I was just wandering around, but now I think I have a reason to settle down somewhere. How’d you like it if I teach you about you power, Psi?”

“Yes! Yes, yes, yes!” Naruto jumped up.

“Whoa, okay, calm down, kid.” Sachiko smiled. “Sit back down and we can start with lesson one, which is mostly just the basics. Before I can actually teach you I need to talk with your parents to explain the situation.”

Naruto looked disheartened by that. He knew his parents would have a problem with it, but he was still willing to try.

“Okay.”

“Good. Now, the power you were trying to use, as I’ve said, is called Psi. There are three basic forms to Psi: Burst, Rise, and Trance. Burst is the physical and usually destructive manifestation of Psi. My Burst allows me to create time bubbles that slow down my enemies and speed me up, and even freeze time for a few moments.”

“Cool!”

“Very cool. Rise is like an enhancer. It raises your physical abilities like speed and reflexes. This is split into two types: Sense-Type Rise and Strength-Type Rise. Sense raises your reflexes and ability to react to things while Strength makes you hit harder, move faster, and take hits easier. Rise is weird in that you’re either good at it or you’re not. You have set potential for it. There is also Healing-Type Rise, but it’s a subsection of Strength and increases your healing ability. Finally is Trance. Trance is all mental, allowing you to do things like read minds or talk telepathically.”

“Like a Yamanaka!”

“I don’t know what that is, but probably. There are other types of trance abilities, but unless it’s what you specialize in you’re not going to be doing too much with it. There are also special types of Psi like Almighty and Zone. Almighty type Psi uses all three aspects of Psi in some way, shape, or form. Zone type Psi allow the user to control part of the biosphere like air or water.”

“Am I gonna be able to do that stuff?”

“Everyone’s Psi ability is different. No two are exactly the same, though you may find some that are similar. Except for Cure users. Their ability, like it implies, is all healing. They all can use it differently, though. There’s no telling what your Psi will be until you unlock it. You could have a weak Burst and strong Rise and no Trance, or you could have strong Trance, no Burst, and mediocre Rise or any combination thereof. There’s no way to no until you unlock it, which you were halfway to.”

“Can you help me right now!?”

“Ah-ah. After I talk to your parents. I don’t want you getting in trouble for them not knowing and I don’t want to start your training only to leave you half trained when I find I can’t train you anymore.”

“Fine.” Naruto sighed. He stood up and motioned for the woman to follow him. He knew better than to trust strangers, a lesson hammered into him a thousand times, but no stranger who wanted to hurt him would basically force him to let them meet his parents.

The two walked quietly until they came upon the modestly sized house. It was two stories with a lot of yard space in the front and the back for training and a garden. Naruto opened the front gate and led the woman inside to where his mother was having a nap on the couch.

Kushina Uzumaki was a relatively tall woman who stood around 5’6” and had an average build to her. She had soft curves but still was quite strong as all her muscle was hidden under slightly baggy clothing, not that she looked muscular (She would beat anyone who claimed so) but she was very strong. She had flowing red hair like fire that reached her calves and violet eyes.

Naruto shook his mother awake gently and couldn’t help but return the gentle smile she gave him as her eyes fluttered open and landed on him.

“You’re back early, sweetie. What happened?” She yawned slightly.

“Uh… I’m not really sure how to explain…” He said.

“Allow me, then.” Sachiko said, snapping Kushina awake. She grabbed Naruto and put the couch between her self and the strange voice, mother bear mode in full effect.

“Who are you?” Kushina asked sharply.

“Whoa, cool it, lady. I mean no harm. I found your son in a nearby park playing with something that almost killed him.” Sachiko said.

“Oh? And what would that be?” Kushina asked, not any less wary of this woman.

“His ability.”

“Naruto doesn’t have any abilities. He can’t use chakra!” Kushina snapped.

“I know. I’m just like him. No chakra network to speak of. Our ability is entirely different from what you ninja use.”

“And what is that?”

“Psi. Psychic abilities.”

“I don’t believe you, get out of my house!”

“Now don’t be that way.” Sachiko said, suddenly sitting on the back of the couch next to where Kushina was standing, sending the woman flying away from her. “Over here now.” Sachiko said, standing right behind where Kushina landed.

“How are you doing that? Can you teleport?” Kushina asked, actually worried for her and her sons safety now.

“No. My Psi allows me to create time fields that slow others and speed me up. But I can also freeze time for a short period if I want.” Sachiko explained.

“Freeze… Time?”

“Yes.”

“So cool!” Naruto said. “I wonder what mine will be!”

“I… What do you want?”

“Let’s calm down a bit and sit down. I’m Sachiko Takemi, by the way.”

“Kushina Uzumaki.” The red head said, no less wary as she sat across from the woman.

“Now, I’d like to train Naruto in his ability. When I got to him he was in the middle of massive nosebleed. Luckily he stopped and noticed me or he could have overtaxed his brain and killed himself.”

“How does that work? He has no chakra system. He shouldn’t be able to do anything.”

“People like me and him, psychicers, are born without chakra systems because the energy that would normally form that system is instead in our brains, removing the natural limiter and giving us the ability to use psi. Psi are psychic abilities unique to each person capable of using them. Very much like you ninja, it’s split into three major forms, Burst, Rise, and Trance. Burst would be the equivalent to you ninjutsu, only the versatility of it can be higher or lower depending on the ability. Rise would be strengthening techniques and allows for better use of what would be taijutsu. Trance is mental abilities and would be a loose equivalent to genjutsu depending on how strong the person is in it. The most basic Trance ability is telepathy.”

“And how do you factor into this?”

“I’m a master at Psi, having been capable of using it since before Naruto, who just discovered it. Like I said, it can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing and could potentially kill you. I want to keep that from happening. He’s the first person I’ve found here capable of using Psi and I want to train him. I’ll even join your ninja ranks if that’s what it takes.”

“I… I have to speak with my husband about this.” Kushina said, setting Naruto on the couch. “I’ll be back in a moment.” Kushina stepped into the kitchen, keeping the living room in sight, and channeled chakra to her ring to pull her husband to her.

Minato arrived, as he always did, in a yellow flash of light. He was ready for a fight, but calmed down when he felt Kushina grab his arm lightly.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

In the living room, Naruto was sitting on the couch looking at Sachiko, who was smirking at him.

‘You know, with me as a teacher, I’ll have you super powerful in jut a few months’

“Whoa! What was that?” Naruto asked when he heard her voice in his head.

‘It’s telepathy. You can already use it since you found your Psi. Try talking back.’

‘Uh… Hello?’

‘See, you got it already. It’s like a connection. You think of the person you want to hear you and send out the message to them. You can also send messages out to whole areas, but that can be dangerous. It’s like sending up a flare and telling everyone where you are.’

‘That would be bad…’

‘Very bad.’ Sachiko nodded.

“This is so cool.”

“Okay, so, Sachiko was it?” Minato stepped into the living room.

“Yes, indeed.” Sachiko looked up to the blond from her seat.

“My wife told me what’s happening. You said Naruto can use the same power as you and you want to train him. How do I know you’re not just trying to use my children against me?”

“Why would I do that?” She asked, actually confused.

“Because I’m the Hokage and you could be from an enemy nation.”

“Hokage?” Sachiko asked. She knew vaguely what a Kage was, but didn’t know the specifics of it. All she knew was that they were strong.

“Yes.”

“I don’t know what that means. I’m from the East.”

“The East?”

“Yes. Beyond your Land of Water is more countries. I, in particular, am from a place called Psyren in a place called the Ash lands. Few ninja ever live there, and the atmosphere makes Psi users more common there. Where in the Elemental Nations you only have about five thousand people with the potential to use Psi, and less than ten percent of them will discover that potential and maybe half of them will die from it, Psyren and the Ash lands are nearly switched. Over half of the population has the potential for Psi use and three fourths of them learn to use it.”

“You realize that’s a terrible thought for us, right? The fact that there seem to be people out there that most ninja wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on?”

“I didn’t say that. Not everyone is good at it or have strong abilities. Psyren is a place where power is considered important, but they aren’t malicious. It’s mostly for hierarchy. Much like here.”

“I’ll take your word for it. Now, for training Naruto… What would you need?”

“You agree?” Sachiko asked, a little shocked they’d give in so easily, especially given they were important enough to worry for their kids being attacked.

“You said most people here die because they aren’t trained to use it and over exert themselves. If you can keep my son from that, then yes, I’m okay with you training him. What do you need to make that happen?” Minato asked.

“Uh, well I’d need a permanent place to stay and possibly a job to maintain my living, but that’s about it. Most Psi training can be done without any real equipment, so as long as there was someplace relatively private and away from others who could get caught up in whatever could go wrong, that would be it.” Sachiko explained.

“More paperwork for me, but fine, I can make you a citizen. As for lodging, I can find you an apartment for relatively cheap somewhere. Your job will be training Naruto, and you will make a sizable amount for it. I’ll also give you access to a private training field. When Naruto is ready, You both can be enlisted as Ninja if either of you wishes.”

“I get to be a ninja! Yes!” Naruto jumped up and down on the couch.

“Naruto, stop jumping on the couch, sweetie.” Kushina said.

“When can you start?” Minato asked, a light smile at his sons antics.

“Tomorrow. I have enough to put myself up in a hotel for a few days, but that’s about it, so housing is the main priority at the moment.” Sachiko said.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll recommend you for a place. They should be able to get you moved in by the day after tomorrow and you’ll be getting paid starting tomorrow. I recommend you set up a bank account as soon as possible.”

“Will do.” Sachiko said.

Dinner time rolled around and Naruto was still abuzz with energy after learning of his powers. Hi sisters were incredulous when they heard, but didn’t want to start anything or crush his happiness.

The youngest of the triplets was Mito. She was like a carbon copy of her mother. She had long red hair she had grown down to her mid back, a round face, and violet eyes. She was also mischievous and very hyper active. He would often get in trouble in class for not paying attention of generally pulling pranks on people.

The middle child, Nanami, behaved more like her father. She was calm and calculating and very smart. She excelled at just about anything the academy put in front of her, much to the ire of a few other students. Her eyes were violet like her mothers, but her hair was an odd mix of both her parents, leaving her with an off color orange.

Naruto looked the most like his father, bright blond hair and ocean blue eyes, but was a mix between them. He was energetic and liked to play but knew when to calm down and take things seriously. Kushina often commented on how quickly he would pick things up during her teaching him.

“I’m just saying, it’s a little weird.” Nanami said to her older brothers story.

“It was a surprise to me too, Nanami. But she really moved faster than I could think and said Naruto had the same power as her. Not the same ability, but the same power. She said its an alternative to chakra that few people have and fewer are able to utilize properly. After her display, I had little reason to disbelieve her.” Kushina said.

“That’s so cool! You’re going to be so awesome, bug bro!” Mito cheered, bringing a smile to everyones faces. She really did love her brother. Nanami did too, but she was less open about showing it.

“I know! I can’t wait!” Naruto cheered. He was happy to have something of his own. Not that he didn’t think his family cared for him, he knew they did, but the problem was they cared too much. It made him feel useless, like he had nothing to contribute. The fact that he would be able to do something for them lit him up inside and made his excitement that much brighter.

The family continued to talk about the goings on of the day before heading to bed. Naruto could hardly sleep due to his excitement.

It was decided that Kushina would handle all of Naruto’s regular schooling during the mornings and Sachiko would train him in the afternoons. She was fine with this because once you have your Psi under your control, it’s relatively easy to use and advance with if you’re creative and/or it’s versatile enough. This was the first day of training and Naruto was far too excited for.

“Alright, Naruto. Since you’re so energetic, we’re going to start off with your Rise. What you need to do for Rise is pretty simple. Most of Psi use is visualization then actualization. You have to visualize what you want, then make it real. For Rise, try to visualize something powerful. While you’re working on that, I can start by teaching you a fighting style. Boxing, specifically.”

“Boxing?”

“Yes. It focuses on throwing punches and dodging. Once you have that down, we’ll work on other things. Now, Try to start on your Rise and come show me your moves.”

Naruto nodded and took a second to think before shooting at his teacher. Shooting isn’t quite the right word, as it implies he was fast. He ran as fast as he could, but it wasn’t much faster than an eight year old normally could run.

‘We’ve got some work to do.’ Sachiko said.

————

Thus started Naruto’s training. He picked up Rise fairly quickly and Sachiko decided he had a talent for it. He was a lot faster than she was expecting him to be for a beginner, but when he said his goal was to be as fast as her and his father, she decided to make him even faster. This, of course, meant getting both his Psi and body stronger and able to last longer. They’d often take runs around the perimeter of the village going one lap without Rise and one lap with it. She’d have him run around with heavy weights on or spend the entire day running. The work outs were brutal, but he was glad for them in the end.

During the years of training Naruto and Sachiko had run into Rock Lee and his sensei Guy. The Psi users though them weird, but Naruto and Lee hit it off relatively well in the intensity of their training. Many runs around the village had turned into all out races between the pairs and the record was in Naruto’s favor the better he got at his Rise.

About a month after they started training he found his Burst and Trance abilities. He found his main Trance ability first. During a sparring session where Sachiko was going especially hard on him he felt a tingle in his head and felt something in him tell him to dodge. Lucky he listened because that spot was a crater only a second later. When Naruto told her she was shocked. She explained it was what was called “Visions”. Not the same sense as the regular Visions or even specifically Menace, which could see the threat of death as a cloud, but as a catch-all term for abilities that warn their user of danger.

Naruto just called it his Danger Sense and moved on.

What he was really excited about was his Burst. Sachiko had thought he was a Rise prodigy, and while she still considered that true, he showed a great creativity with what she initially thought to be a simple Burst.

Naruto called it “Starlight” for the bright blue color of it. Initially he could only create floating mines that exploded with great force depending on how much power he put into it and fire it as a laser from his hand, even getting this floating blue circuit near his hand when he fired. But she saw him quickly realize the utility of such a power. He found he could channel it into his already deadly punches and kicks for more power or make it solid to create floating platforms or blades. Sachiko was beyond surprised when he ran up to her one day and showed her one of the most devastating attacks she’d ever seen.

He’d created a move called “Light of the Moon” which was a small lance he could hold and fight with or throw and cause to explode. After this came his “Star Lance” which was a more powerful version of the previous attack by miles. This, though? This was next level. He’d taken his original “Star Blast” the original laser blast attack he had and applied the most powerful versions barrage effect to “Star Lance” creating what he called:

“Starlight Barrage” Naruto aimed his hand, blue circuits spinning around it before blue spots began to ripple in the air and fire out a barrage of blue energy that seemed to last forever. He had basically leveled a good two hundred meters of forest in front of him with that attack.

“Naruto?”

“Yes, Sachi-sensei?” He asked innocently, though the devilish smile on his face gave him away.

“You’re going to be a force of nature when you’re older.”

“Power unrestrained is power undefined. I need control to do the things I do. I can’t just go firing off things like this whenever I want.” Naruto motioned to the destroyed forest, the trees that were still there charred black even though there was no heat or smoke coming from them. They’d learned of this odd effect of Naruto’s ability soon after he gained it, but found it only did that if a certain level of power was used. He could blast someone with weaker attacks and only singe them slightly, but the “Burning” effect was still there.

“Glad you understood that lesson in particular. So, you think you’re ready?” Sachiko asked, knowing all too well he was far beyond what would be considered genin level.

“I know I am. My sisters said their class is graduating in the next few days, so it’s a good time to join.”

“Right, well, let’s go.”

The two disappeared in a pillar of blue light courtesy of Naruto. They appeared in the Hokage’s office in very much the same way, startling the blond Hokage.

“Naruto!” Minato said, jumping back. He looked up at his son and his teacher. Sachiko looked very much the same as she did five years ago when they first met. She dressed the same as when they met, though she now wore a camisole that left part of her bellybutton free to view and had longer hair tied into a ponytail. She’d also started wearing actual pants instead of short shorts and thigh highs.

Naruto now wore a long sleeved black muscle shirt under a thin dark blue flack vest and orange short sleeved jacket. Under that was a pair of back pants that had a long orange belt looped once to actually hold his pants up and the second time for decoration. He opted for closed toes shoes instead of standard ninja sandals. The blond had also changed a bit since training under Sachiko. For one, his normal energy was channeled into showmanship. The boy liked to show off when he could, which was why he always came and went in a pillar of blue light. He was also very nonchalant about everything now. Like he had the power to take on anyone with no problem. It was a confidence that many wished they could have and didn’t seem to even come close to arrogance. He was proud to see the boy flourish despite his perceived disability.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack. What do you need?” Minato asked.

“I’m ready.” Naruto said.

“You’re ready? You think so?” He posed the second question to Sachiko. She would know best.

“He’s beyond ready. I think he just wanted to wait until his sisters were graduating.” Sachiko smiled.

“Alright, I’ll have to take your word for it. But I’d like to see your ability. I know you told us what it did, but I’d like to see it.”

“I want to keep it a secret. So just you and Mom. Maybe the girls.” Naruto said.

Minato was confused by that, but nodded. He disappeared and was back the next second with Kushina in his arms. He ordered his Anbu out and activated the privacy seals around the office. They did a quick check to make sure no one else was there and nodded for Naruto to start.

Naruto raised a hand and a Star Mine floated above his palm. It was a bit bigger than someone’s head and had a the usual bright blue glow of his attacks.

“This is a Star Mine. One of the things I’m able to do with my ability, which I named ‘Starlight’.” He noticed Kushina reaching out to touch it, but she was stopped by Sachiko.

“I wouldn’t recommend that. These things explode. And when they do, it’s not pretty.”

“For some reason my ability has a weird burning effect, but it doesn’t produce any heat. It can pierce or hit things, leaves burn marks on whatever it touches that’s not me, and I can do just about anything I want with it. Even make platforms.”

“That’s very versatile.” Minato said.

“I’m so happy for you, Naruto! You get to be a ninja!” Kushina smiled and gave her son a tight hug.

“But why keep it a secret?”

“Because you have me on record as having no chakra. People will underestimate me and they’ll never know what hit them.” Naruto explained.

“Good point.” Minato nodded. “Alright, neither of your abilities will be in any of your official paperwork. But I would like to see what you can do.”

“Oh! He can spar against one of the girls. I know they’ve always been curious what Naruto was doing.” Kushina clapped her hands together when the idea came to her.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? You know how… Heated they can get.”

“Naruto can handle it. Right sweetie?”

“I might.” Naruto shrugged.

“Great! How about before dinner?”

“Okay.”

“Alright! We’re all set!”

“Why are we doing this again?” Nanami asked as she stood across from her brother. She’d also grown over the years. She stood two inches shorter than her brother at 5’2” with her red-orange hair cut into a spiky bob mimicking her fathers style in her own way. She wore a pair of dark red pants with a tan shirt under a black jacket with red cuffs. She was still just as calm as always, though more calculating now. She always tried to be quick and creative with her plans, but that didn’t stop her from having fun.

“Because I want to see what your brother can do. And it will be a good test to see if you can adapt.” Minato said.

“Plus we get see Naruto’s powers! It’ll be so cool! You know you want to!” Mito said excitedly. She was more of a firecracker than ever. The girls boundless energy only seemed to grow as she got older and she became well known for her pranks that few knew her siblings helped her with. Her hair had grown and now reached her calves and she let it flow freely. She was as tall as her sister and wore a pair of thin purple leggings under black shorts that stopped a few inches above her knee with a gold belt. Her top was a black shirt that had long purple sleeves coming from under the black short sleeves, making it look like she had on two shirts.

Both Minato and Kushina thought their children’s favorite colors were odd but also oddly fitting. Naruto was vibrant and outgoing like orange, but also intelligent like the dark blue suggested. Nanami was a very willful and courageous person, denoted by her choice in dark red, but also down to earth and stable, by her choice in tan. Mito was the enigma. For her the purple and gold didn’t mean royalty and wealth but creativity and illumination. Most might not understand that about her until they really got to know her. The color they all had in common, black, represented a power but also a different thing for each of them specifically. For Naruto it was mystery. For Nanami it was formality. For Mito it was elegance.

Each of them had put a certain level of thought into how they dressed and it really showed. They had their favorite colors, but they also knew how others might perceive them from their choices. It was a point of pride for their parents. Though the triplets willingness to show off their bodies was a bit disconcerting. Naruto with his skin tight muscle shirt, Mito wearing relatively tight clothing despite her early developments, and Nanami doing much the same with her shirts.

“I do want to know what you’ve been up to while we were in the academy.” Nanami said. “I’ll try not to hurt you too bad, big bro.” She smirked as she took up her stance.

Naruto smirked back, taking up his stance as well, “You took the words right out of my mouth sis.”

“Start!” Minato said.

Nanami, the ever patient one in the family, took up a more defensive style of fighting where Naruto and Mito were more aggressive. So it was no surprise when she didn’t make the first move. What was a surprise was when Naruto moved. He was far faster than anyone but Sachiko could have expected. To her he was moving slow, even by his standards. He got three hits in before anyone realized what had happened.

“Hold on! Time out!” Nanami said as she stumbled back a bit, “Did you just hit me?”

“Yes I did.”

“Three times?”

“Yep.”

“How are you so fast?”

“Nearly all of my physical training has been focused on speed.”

“Well… Guess I won’t have to hold back much.” She said, proud of her older brother. In truth, while she loved him very much, she found herself having the same doubts as everyone else. Without chakra he wouldn’t be able to do much. He was proving her wrong and she was beyond happy about that.

They reset and the fight resumed. Nanami showed a bit of her speed, ducking and dodging some of the hits, though she knew Naruto wasn’t going as fast as he could because she could react to the hits without much struggle. She also found it difficult to hit her brother. It was like he knew where and when she was going to attack. Deciding she wasn’t fast enough to win in a taijutsu fight, she jumped back and let out some ninjutsu.

“Water style: Gunshot!” She said, taking a breath and firing a large ball of water from her mouth.

Everyone was shocked to see a blue shield appear in front of him to block the attack, but Nanami used it for a chance to attack. She jumped into the air and intended to come down with a hard axe kick on his shoulder. The shield dissipated and Naruto pointed a finger. A blue orb flew out before blurring up and meeting her in the air.

“Oh crap.” Was all she could say as the orb exploded, sending her back.

Naruto ran and caught his sister before she hit the ground.

“Fancy meeting you, here.” He smirked.

“My hero.” Nanami said, falling back like she fainted.

“Oh, whatever.” Naruto smiled as he put his sister down. “You okay?”

“That hurt, but that’s the business. My shirt is a bit singed though.”

“Yeah, that tends to happen.”

“What was that anyway?”

“It was so COOL!” Mito shouted, tackling her brother in a tight hug.

“That was my ability. Starlight. I can do all kinds of things with it.” Naruto said, making a platform and floating them all over to their parents.

“That was wonderful! You both did great!” Kushina hugged her children tightly.

“But I lost. I barely got to do anything.” Nanami said.

“That’s alright. You did the best you could without knowing what your brother could do.” Minato said.

“Not to mention Psi users tend to be a step above ninja in general. It’s a case by case basis, but in general a Psychicer of a comparable level will have some sort of edge on ninja.” Sachiko said.

“You didn’t say that.” Minato frowned.

“Yeah, but I also didn’t want to scare you. And the fact that they aren’t out to take over the world still stands. I’ve had a friend of mine keep me updated over the years.”

“Still.”

“Yeah, I know. Anyway, let’s eat!” Sachiko cheered.

Dinner was rather animated, with the kids all talking about how they couldn’t wait to be ninja and how cool it would be. The girls talked about their time at the academy and how things were going. Mito talked about the pranks a kid named Kiba would help her pull while Nanami talked about her friend Hinata and how she seemed to be one of the only girls in class not obsessed with a guy named Sasuke. She described the boy as closed off and broody after what happened with his family. She’d tried to make friends with him, but he didn’t seem particularly interested in doing so, so she left him alone.

Naruto remembered something like that. A bit over half of the Uchiha clan was wiped out by one dude who had been manipulating the clan head into attempting a coup. He broke free and they tried to fight the man only for him to curb stomp most of them. Itachi had been shown up too late to help leaving him the clan head. His mother, and Kushina’s best friend, Mikoto was left to take care of the twins, Sasuke and Shizuka, while Itachi did most of the work.

He’d heard Shizuka had faired better and said Sasuke’s closed off nature was partly because he was still not over what had happened, but also because he wasn’t sure how to feel about everything that had happened. He was a good guy at heart, just conflicted. He wanted to prove himself and not live in Itachi’s shadow, but he also wanted to help take the load off his brother, who was clearly getting tired between running the Police Force and being the Clan Head. All in all, the guy was in a weird place in life.

The adults were talking about a number of things, but mostly what would be expected of Sachiko as a Jonin level ninja. She understood and had been a part of more than what they said she’d have to do. The Ash Lands were rather volatile and fighting wasn’t uncommon. She did, however, say something that shocked the parents after they explained the mission levels.

“I think Naruto should be put straight on C Ranks.”

“What? Are you sure?” Minato asked.

“They’re supposed to start on D Ranks for a reason.” Kushina said.

“Yes. It’s just me and Naruto, so missions designed to promote teamwork won’t really help him. You can’t put him on a regular team since I’m the only one with anything to teach him besides fighting styles. Jumping straight to actual missions and real world experience will be the best for him. I’ve explained very well what will be expected of him in this line of work and he said he understands. There’s not much more we can do besides that.”

“A fair enough point.” Minato sighed.

“You just make sure my baby comes home alright.” Kushina said lowly.

“I’ve made sure he can take on just about anyone in some way.”

“I’ll start you off in minor or non combat missions to start. So he can get a feel of everything first.” Minato said.

“I’m glad with that.”

“Good. Oh, and we’re starting group training sessions soon, so I suggest you have Naruto show up so he can get to know the other genin.”

“Alright. Naruto could certainly use more friends.”

“Hey!” Naruto shouted.

“Oh, the only other person you know is that spandex wearing kid and his teacher.”

“You know Guy and Lee?” Minato asked.

“We race sometimes.” Naruto shrugged.

“You can keep up with him?” Nanami asked.

“Yep. I’m in the lead.”

“Wow.” Mito said.

“But you’re still going to make more friends.” Sachiko said.

“Yeah, fine, whatever.” Naruto said.

————

Naruto was sitting with his parents outside the academy waiting for his sisters to come out. Other kids had already come out, some cheering, some sad. Naruto had the metal plate of his headband put into his belt so he didn’t have to change his outfit. He was leaning on his mom while she talked to Mikoto Uchiha and Sayuri Hyuga. He looked like he was asleep, so neither woman had spoken to him yet.

“So who do you think will be teamed together?” Sayuri asked.

“Minato never tells me these things for this exact reason. He wants it to be a surprise for everyone. I’m sure my girls will be put together, but that’s about it.” Kushina explained.

“Well that’s no fun. I know Sasuke won’t be on a team. Itachi wants to take him on personally.” Mikoto said.

“That would be best to help him sort himself out. I heard he hasn’t been very social since the incident.” Naruto said, eyes still closed.

“Naruto,” Sayuri said, “I thought you were asleep.”

“Nope. Just exceedingly bored.” He sat up with a yawn and stretch that popped several places. It also flashed the piece of metal on his belt.

“You’re a ninja? How? What? Explain?” Mikoto said, noticing the metal plate that denoted him as a ninja.

“I can’t say too much on it, but it turns out Naruto’s lack of a chakra network affords him some other abilities. He wants to keep it a secret for now.” Kushina explained with a smile.

“It’s true there is no chakra in him, but I see something else. An aura of power I’ve never seen before.” Sayuri remarked.

“I don’t mind showing off a bit for you lovely ladies. Want a drink, mom?”

“Oh, Kushina, I didn’t realize you were raising such a charmer.” Mikoto smirked.

“I’m not. Yes, I’d like bottle of water, please.” She said as she motion for her friends to watch Naruto carefully.

Naruto nodded, all eyes on him, then he was gone.

“What the…?” Sayuri asked.

“Where did he go? I didn’t see anything.” Mikoto said.

“Yeah, he’s really fast. Races Guy’s student Lee on a regular basis.” Kushina said.

“That was pure speed?!” Sayuri asked.

“Nothing but speed.” Naruto said as he reappeared next to his mother, handing her a bottle of water while he took a sip of his iced coffee.

“What did I tell you about coffee?”

“I’ll be fine, It’s only two.” He said.

“I swear, you and Mito seem to love the stuff.”

“Yeah, but I don’t start running on the ceiling.”

“You can’t run on the ceiling.”

“My point is I don’t go anywhere near as crazy as she does.” Naruto took another sip of his coffee.

“You two are being far too casual about that level of speed!” Mikoto nearly yelled.

“I got used to it.” Kushina said.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll make a fine ninja, Naruto.” Sayuri smiled.

“Thanks, auntie.” Naruto smiled.

He’d taken to calling the two women auntie, much like he called Tsunade Granny. She acted like she hated it, but she was glad to have the triplets around. Jiraiya was not afforded the same level of respect.

“We did it!” Mito shouted as she burst out the door of the academy, Nanami walking out calmly behind her.

“Congratulations!” Minato said, catching Mito who had shot at him like a bullet. Naruto had grabbed Nanami in a tight hug and spin her around before switching with his father, leaving Nanami with a slight blush and Mito with a bright smile. Kushina could only giggle at her children’s antics.

“That test was easy-peasy!” Mito smiled.

“Far too easy.” Nanami said.

“Ah, can you tell me what’s taking Hinata so long?” Sayuri asked. Her daughter should have been out a few minutes ago.

“Hinata went to the rest room. She should be out soon.”

“Well, now we just have to wait for my twins and we can go get food. Where should we eat?” Mikoto asked.

“Bakery.” Hinata said as she walked outside.

“No. You eat enough sweets as is. You’re going to turn into a cinnamon bun if you eat anymore.” Sayuri said.

“You mean she’s not already?” Naruto asked, getting a chuckle from most everyone and a blushing pout from Hinata.

She wasn’t the most confident girl when she was little but seeing Naruto still try so hard despite not having a chakra network inspired her to push past her limits. Having Nanami and Mito as friends didn’t help her keep her shy nature, either. So now as a teen she still wasn’t the most confident, but she knew where she stood. She wasn’t afraid to confront someone when she had to.

“I know I’m sweet, but if you keep talking you might just find the spice.” Hinata said.

“Is that a promise?”

Hinata’s face went bright red, as did a few of the other womens.

“Okay, you two are too young to be flirting like that.” Sayuri said.

“Let the love birds have their fun.” Minato laughed.

“You’re not helping.” Kushina said.

“Do I ever?”

“You know what?”

“We passed!” Shizuka cheered as she and Sasuke walked outside.

“Then we’re all here.” Mikoto said. “Where should we go?”

“Ramen!” Was the proclamation of the red heads. Nanami nodded, not disagreeing. She’d never admit to liking ramen as much as her mother and siblings, but she very much did.

“I vote barbecue.” Naruto said.

“Traitor!” Mito shouted.

“Listen. I love ramen, but I like to eat other things too.”

“Like copious amounts of meat.” Minato said.

“Yes.”

“It’s true. I’ve seen him nearly clean out a Yakitori vendor.” Nanami said.

“Honestly, the dude was happy to get an early day.” Naruto shrugged.

“Sushi?” Sayuri suggested.

And then all hell broke loose. They stood there arguing about where to celebrate for almost half an hour before they settled on a buffet.

After everyone was settled in, the adults had a table to themselves while the kids sat at a separate table nearby. Naruto and Mito had two plates stacked high with food while the others wondered how they could possibly stomach that much. Nanami also had a lot of food, but not nearly as much as her siblings. While the triplets sat on one side, Hinata, her younger sister Hanabi, Sasuke and Shizuka sat on the other.

“How did you make ninja, Naruto?” Shizuka asked.

“Oh, I have some other stuff I can do that doesn’t require chakra. It’s a secret until I want to use it.” Naruto smirked.

“We must be desperate if someone with no chakra can be a ninja.” Hanabi scoffed. While she could be nice, she had picked up a bit too much of the Hyuga attitude.

“Hey! My big bro is awesome!” Mito said.

“Naruto is very strong. Even I have trouble against him.” Nanami admitted. Despite perceptions, that wasn’t a point of shame for her. Her brother was very powerful and it only meant she had more to work on to stand at his level.

“Wow, he must be really strong for you to admit that.” Shizuka smiled.

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Hanabi scoffed.

It was at that moment that Naruto noticed one of the workers slip in some soda some kid had spilled, nearly sending food all over the place. Naruto was gone before anyone at the table could blink and had caught the woman and the pan of food.

“Hello.” Naruto said, his face a bit close to hers as she leaned against his arm.

“H-Hi.” She said.

“Some kid spilled soda, so try to be a bit more careful, yeah?”

“Okay.” She nodded, taking the food and trying to walk away before he noticed the blush on her face. She didn’t. Naruto smirked and appeared back in his seat like nothing had happened.

“What I miss?” He asked, looking up at the slack jawed genin on the other side of the table.

At the adult table, the reactions of those who hadn’t seen his speed were just the same.

“Naruto is fast.” Itachi remarked.

“It’s most of what we worked on.” Sachiko said.

“Ah, you’re his sensei, correct? Sachiko? Kushina often speaks about you, but never says much.” Sayuri said.

“I’m a pretty simple woman in terms of wants and needs. There’s not too much to say about me.”

“What made you want to train Naruto?” Mikoto asked.

“He’s like me. No chakra network.”

“I didn’t realize. I had never heard of such a thing before Naruto was born.” 

“It’s fairly common, though most people who are born without chakra here never even unlock their true potential. And most of the ones that do die from improper use or training.”

“You’re saying it’s not a disability but rather an alternate source of power?” Hiashi asked.

“Exactly. Where I’m from it’s the most common. Unlike you ninja though, most abilities are unique. There are equivalents to your ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, but they work in different ways.”

“How so?” Itachi asked.

“There are base level skills for each of them but everything past that is completely original to the user. Whether or not those base skills can be used is also on a case by case basis. Some peoples individual skills are so volatile or specialized they override the basics while others may just have no talent or capability to use that portion.”

“Could we have an example?” Sayuri asked.

Sachiko thought for a second. “Okay, so our powers are split up into Burst; the equivalent to your ninjutsu, Rise; sort of equivalent to taijutsu but it enhances strength and reflexes, and Trance; a loose equivalent to genjutsu. A girl I knew back home had an ability called Requiem. She could form these orbs of energy that could destroy just about anything if she wanted them too. She could also coat herself in this energy to augment her already monstrous Rise abilities. To put it bluntly, the woman could easily destroy a mountain in a less than a minute if she wanted. However, her Burst wasn’t so volatile she could use the basic level skill of Telekinesis, which she was amazing at.”

“I’ve heard that term before. Telekinesis is to move things with the mind, correct?” Itachi asked.

“Exactly. She could toss five story buildings with it. In addition to her other abilities. But I can’t do that. My ability is too specialized to let me use telekinesis.”

“What is your ability?” Hiashi asked.

“I can mess around with time.” She said, taking a sip of a drink she hadn’t had seconds earlier.

“I… Wow…” Mikoto said.

“What can Naruto do?”

“Well, his Rise is amazing, as you saw, but he wants to keep his burst a secret.”

“So others underestimate him.” Itachi concluded.

“Exactly.”

Minato and Kushina watched the exchange with slight smirks. Seeing it from the outside was pretty entertaining.

Back with the kids, Naruto had given a similar speech, but refused to show them what his burst was, repeating it was a secret until they saw it in battle.

“That’s entirely unfair.” Shizuka said.

“Deal with it.” Naruto smirked.

“So you’ve just been training your powers for the last five years?” Hinata asked.

“Yep. And since the capacity for it is different from chakra, the training is different. Once you can do something, you just have to make that one thing stronger. It’s kind of like taking a low level jutsu and upgrading it until it’s powerful enough to be considered forbidden. It also means training is more efficient. There’s less to focus on. I don’t have to worry about running out of chakra but I have to worry about overtaxing myself.”

“What’s the difference?” Sasuke asked.

“Hm… Dad would run out of chakra before Sachi-sensei over used her Psi.” The table sort of gasped at that, but understood what he was talking about. “It’s like how a battery will run out of power before a generator will. While you can make your chakra pools bigger, there’s still limited usage. Psi does have a limit on how much you can use it, but the higher level you are, and depending on how volatile your Psi is, the higher that limit is. Some people can use their psi for days at a time.”

“That’s… that’s crazy.” Shizuka said.

“Yeah. But that’s how it works. We’re just able to use our abilities longer. Not to say ninja stand no chance, just that the flow of energy is different and we have an edge.”

“I find it interesting you would explain so much about your powers.” Hanabi said.

“I’ve only explained the basics. You still don’t know what I, specifically, am capable of outside my speed. Which is how you do most things. Only tell part of the truth. You’ll spend a lot of time lying as ninja, too.”

“I guess so.”

“So since you’re a ninja, we’ll be seeing more of you, right?” Hinata asked.

“Possibly. How much do you want to see?” Naruto smirked.

Shizuka’s eyes widened, Sasuke choked, Mito stifled a laugh, and Hinata and Nanami went red.

“A lot…” Hinata accidentally let slip. She covered her mouth and Naruto’s smirk widened.

“I’m sure we can arrange something.”

“Naruto!” Nanami shouted just loud enough for the adults to hear.

“Okay, jeez.” Naruto sat back and finished his first plate. “So you guys have to show up for team assignments tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I hope we get someone cool. Oh, I hope it’s mom!” Mito said.

“I’m not sure mom is coming out of retirement. I doubt she’d mind, though it would mean we’d probably have to hire servants.” Nanami said.

“Are you being put on a team, Naruto?” Shizuka asked.

“No. It’s juts going to be me and Sachi-sensei. A regular Jonin wouldn’t have anything to teach me, so we’re a two person squad.”

“You’re basically an apprentice.” Hanabi said.

“Yep. Nothings changing except we get to do missions now.”

“Lucky. We have to wait another three days before we can start taking missions.” Shizuka sighed.

“You’ll be fine.” Naruto said.

———

“This is not fine!” Shizuka shouted as she walked towards the Hokage tower. Her team had just finished another D rank mission. They had to go help on a farm and now they were all covered in mud.

“I feel so gross.” Mito whined.

“At least you weren’t stuck shoveling manure.” Nanami said coldly.

“This is the worst. Why can’t we take real missions?”

“D ranks are designed to promote teamwork and help get you acquainted with the villagers. It’s so they don’t see you as mindless killing machines. While we are military, we are also people. Civilians have a tendency to forget that.” Kakashi said.

“I wonder how everyone else is doing.” Shizuka asked.

Team placement had gone over fairly well except for Sakura and Ino whining about not being on Sasuke’s team and Kakashi showing up three hours late.

Sakura got placed on a team no one was expecting to pass, yet did. Kurenai Yuhi had been put in charge of team Six, which was mostly a genjutsu team, but her co-Sensei Anko made sure the girls had the physical abilities they needed. The team consisted of Sakura Haruno, a purple haired girl named Ami, and Yakumo Kurama.

Team Seven was Mito Namikaze, Nanami Namikaze, and Shizuka Uchiha, all led by the infamously late Kakashi.

Team Eight was Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, and Shino Aburame, led by the brash Tsume Inuzuka, who was able to take the time to have a team thanks to her daughter starting to do more clan related things.

Team Ten was Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka, led by Asuma Sarutobi. There’s not much to mention about the mans personality. He’s pretty normal.

They were the only teams to have passed the genin test. Naruto could technically be a team, but they had chosen a name over a number designation.

Speaking of the blond, neither of his sisters had seen him in the last few days. Of course, speak of the devil and he shall come. Or, think in this case.

“Hey guys!” Naruto called out from behind them.

“Big brother! Where have you been?” Mito asked, tackling him in a tight hug.

“We’ve been on a mission.” Sachiko said.

“Mission? Aren’t you doing D ranks like us?” Shizuka asked.

“No. We’re doing C ranks.” Naruto said, noting the look of shock and jealousy on the girls faces. “Don’t get too excited, their just scouting missions on things of interest. Travel somewhere and get info on a bandit camp here or there.”

“That’s still better than we get!” Mito whined.

“You get to actually leave the village.” Nanami said.

“Yeah. But it’s not particularly exciting. It’s just hours upon hours of recon.” He said as he started walking. “Pay is good though.”


	6. Sound of Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second of the Naruto/Psyren crossovers except this one has one of my favorite characters from Tower of God and his relationship with his family is bad.

Seven year old Naruto Namikaze sat quietly at the park, trying his very best to unlock is chakra. He understood, on some level, that what he was doing was impossible. He’d found out at four that he had no chakra network to speak of, making him completely incapable of using it at all. Meaning that despite his best efforts and all the crying in the world, he’d never get to be a ninja. At the age of five he’d overheard a meeting between his parents, his fathers teacher and teammates, and his younger twin sister Chinami. It was about some prophecy. He was too young to fully understand what they were talking about, but he more than understood that it was about him.

His parents had seemed apprehensive about something, while Tsunade seemed angry and Orochimaru was rather indifferent to what was going on. Everything full kicked in when he heard Jiraiya nearly shout “Naruto is nothing! He doesn’t even have a chakra system, Minato! You can deal with him after you train Chinami properly. She’s going to do great things in this world and it won’t do for you to ignore what she can be just for him. This is greater than he could possibly be. This could mean the fate of the world.”

Once he heard his parents responses of “Okay, we’ll give it a try” he was gone. He ran home and cried for hours. It didn’t help that his family was already forgetful of him. After that it was like he didn’t exist at all. They wouldn’t notice if he was around or not most of the time, though they did still do the basics things for him.

And so he was trying for something, anything, that would prove to his family that he was worth something, anything. He was trying to give them a reason to love him again. It was a position a child should never be in, but here the young blond sat, alone and dejected as attempt after attempt failed to produce any kind of result.

The sun was low and painted the sky light shades of orange and purple. Naruto payed no attention to the time as he tried again. It wasn’t like they would notice if he missed dinner. No one ever asked where he’d been or what he was doing, far too focused on Chinami to care. He figured this would be his final failed attempt for the day and he’d go home, reheat some left overs, maybe take a bath, and head to bed for another day of wasted time.

He figured wrong.

As he meditated, looking for the energy the books described, he instead began to feel something in his head. A tingling feeling that grew as he latched onto it. He started pulling, trying to draw the power out, but it pulled back. As he tried to force the feeling towards him he felt himself grow cold. It wasn’t uncomfortable, rather it felt natural. As the cold began to overcome him he felt a sharp pain in his head that forced his eyes open and sent him flailing back. He tried to sit up and found he couldn’t move how he wanted. There was a trail of blood from his nose down his clothes and his head hurt like hell. When everything stopped being so blurry he finally noticed the shadow standing over him, blocking what little light there was.

It was a woman. She was tall, probably around Jiraiya’s height if he had to guess, with long silver hair that stopped at her ankles tied into a thick braid at shoulder length. She had caramel colored skin and piercing red eyes that bore into him with a mix of curiosity and authority. She wore red shoes that looked like they were meant for combat besides the thick three inch heels. Her pants were black and had a red stripe down the side. She had a black pack clipped around her hips along with a red stick. On her hands she wore red gloves and her torso was covered by a sleeveless gray button down with red patches on the chest.

“Well, hello there, little one.” Her voice was commanding and backed with authority, but not overly harsh or intimidating, though she seemed somewhat amused by the situation. “What’s your name?”

“N-Naruto.” He said warily.

“Don’t be scared, Naruto. I don’t want to hurt you. I’m a sucker for cute little boys. Never could resist their adorable faces.”

“W-what do you want?”

“I’m interested in what you just did.”

“What do you mean?”

“The power you used. I picked it up on when I was walking nearby. Then you nearly pulled me over here, you were tugging so hard. You seem to be like me.”

“Like you?”

“You don’t have a chakra network do you?”

“No.”

“Then you’re like me. I don’t have chakra either. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do something amazing. Like this!” She brought up her hands and they lit up with fire.

“Cool! I’ll be able to do that?!”

“Not fire. But it seems you’ve gotten the opposite.” She said, pointing to the melting frost around Naruto.

“I did this?”

“Yes you did. This power is very unique to this part of the world. Very few people have the ability to use it, and fewer ever unlock it, and fewer still ever live to properly use it. You came very close to killing yourself just now.”

“Oh…” Naruto said, looking down at the ground.

Kneeling down in front of him, the woman smiled the gentlest smile she could, which was still too toothy and manic, and said, “Tell me, Naruto, what are you afraid of?”

“Afraid of?”

“Yes. What’s your biggest fear? What makes it hard for you to sleep at night?” Rightly, the woman expected him to say something simplistic since he was still a child. She expected ‘Monsters under my bed’ or ‘the dark’. What she got instead shocked her.

“I’m scared… I’m terrified of being alone. It’s… a crushing feeling. That my parents and sister are so happy together and they train her and leave me by myself. It hurts watching them be so happy without me. It makes me… mad. And I think… I’m starting to hate them for it. And I hate that they make me feel that way. I don’t want to hate them!” He said, voice growing louder as he spoke, tears forming in his eyes. “I just don’t want to be alone anymore.” He said quietly, tears finally falling.

The woman sat silently in front of him, shocked that a small child would be agonizing over such things. She pulled him into a tight hug that he returned instantly. Once he’d cried enough she stood up, once again shadowing Naruto.

“Naruto, my name is Haruna Suzuhara. I’m gonna teach you to be the strongest person in this village.”

“Y-you’re going to stay with me?”

“Yes, I will. I want you to show up here everyday, as early as you can, and by the time I’m through with you, you’ll be a force of nature.”

“Cool! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Naruto shouted, jumping up and down, earlier mood forgotten.

—————

Naruto was skating backwards, a layer of ice appearing behind his ice-made ice skates as he ducked, dodged, and weaved his way through his teachers fire enhanced swipes at his face. The two had determined faces, even as Naruto was pushed on the back foot, and had no plans to lose this round of sparring. Haruna stopped short and launched fireballs at Naruto’s feet, which he quickly dodged, weaving his feet away from the balls of death with lightning speed. Several crystals of ice appeared around his head before shooting at Haruna, who quickly dodged. She’d learned that at this point his Ice was far too cold for her to melt instantly anymore.

When she was clear she created a large fire nova that spread quickly. Naruto made an ice ramp and took off skating in the the air to avoid it. It went higher than he was anticipating and the flames pushed him off his ice trail, sending him towards the ground. Haruna was getting ready to meet him with a fire covered hand, but Naruto created a large sphere of ice with points coming out of it like a small ice star. He shot it at the ground and created a large explosion of ice before he landed.

He knew this wouldn’t be enough to stop Haruna, but it was supposed to buy time. Not even a second later the silver haired woman came flying through the ice wall covered in white hot fire. She shot at him just as Naruto threw his hands out to create a powerful ice nova. Haruna stopped mere inches from him, frozen but still burning. After a few seconds he let the technique go and Haruna fell to her knees, shivering.

“Did you just freeze time?” She asked.

“Yeah!” He said with a rare smile. “I finally perfected it.”

“I-I’m proud of you, N-Naruto.” She said, also giving him a smile. “You’ve been working on getting that far for so long.” She continued, finally heating herself up.

“I couldn’t have done it without you.” Naruto said as he got dressed. When training with Haruna, so as to not ruin his clothes, he stripped down to just his pants, boots, and sleeveless muscle shirt. He slipped on his black long sleeve and midnight blue double breasted winter coat with orange buttons, as well as his blue and orange striped scarf he kept wrapped around the bottom of his face.

“You know what that means right?” Haruna asked, covering herself in flames to dry off quicker.

“Wait, you mean?”

“You’re ready.”

Naruto was still. He’d been waiting for this day for so long. Every grueling training session or hours spent in a hot bath to loosen his aching muscles, it was all for this moment. He didn’t think he’d be ready so soon.

“I’m really ready?”

“Yes.”

“Then we should go see him.”

“We’ll head there now.”

——

Minato sat at his desk going through his paperwork. There was just so much of it so often. How the third Hokage dealt with it for so long he’d never know. He’d only been Hokage for around fifteen years and he was more than ready to retire. He just wanted to go home and spend some time with his family.

Speaking of family, he looked over at the pictures on his desk. Both were recent, taken when the twins were ten. The first was of almost the whole family, him, his wife, and their daughter all smiling happily together. The second was of Naruto, who he had to get a separate picture of due to him being gone so often. Naruto didn’t even bother looking at the camera, instead paying attention to something off to the side.

He often worried about Naruto. The boy had become so cold, rarely ever speaking to them. If he ate with them at all he hardly said a word. Not that anyone ever really spoke to him. After their talk with Jiraiya, they’d focused so much on Chinami that they hardly noticed if Naruto was around or not. He was ashamed to admit how often he forgot about his older child. He really couldn’t blame the boy for being how he was when his own family hardly paid any attention to him.

When Chinami was with him she was rather antagonistic, as if she were trying to get a rise out of her brother. It never worked. Naruto’s answers were clipped and to the point, like he would rather not be talking to her at all. She always looked so sad or angry whenever Naruto brushed off her attempts at teasing. He could still remember almost a year ago how distraught Kushina was when she realized Naruto had stopped thinking of them as his family. He’d nearly called her by name before pausing and slipping back to his formal and distant use of “Mother”. Between his job, his time spent with Chinami, and his time with Kushina, Minato almost never saw the boy. It was maybe once a week at best.

But that would change soon. With Chinami graduating soon and Kushina not being an active ninja, they’d be able to spend some time with the boy. God knows he needs someone to pay some attention to him. Minato might have been busy, but he knew from the few times that he did see Naruto that the boy was painfully alone. With a deep sigh the blond man set about his paperwork once again, only to be interrupted by flashes of white and red appearing in his office.

“I believe we have things to speak about, father.” Naruto said in his usual monotone.

“Naruto! How did you do that? Who is this woman?” Minato asked quickly, signaling for the Anbu squad to stand down.

“I’d like to be a ninja.” Naruto said.

“What? Naruto, you can’t be a ninja, you don’t have a chakra network. That’s the most integral part of the job.” Minato said.

“I don’t have chakra. I have something I’d say is better.”

“Better than chakra? And what would that be?”

“Psi.” Haruna answered for him, her authoritative voice snapping Minato’s attention to her.

“Psi? What is that?”

“It’s a power similar to chakra, but far more individualized. I’d say more effective as well, considering the things that are possible with it that aren’t without it.”

“Like what?”

“Like this.” She said, raising her hand and causing the desk to lift as well.

“Telekinesis.” Minato said in wonder.

“Indeed. It can also be used to increase physical abilities such as speed, power, and healing. Of course, it’s not limited to such things. While Naruto and I fall into the category of Burst focused users, there are those who focus on trance abilities, which are similar to your Yamanaka.”

“So you can only use one of the three?”

“No.” Naruto said. “Some people may be unable to use more than one, but they’re in the minority, and they tend to be extremely unique in the portion they can use. Sensei and I are primarily burst, but our rise and trance abilities are refined as well. Almost no Psi users can take over someones mind, but some of the more advanced trance users can do things like erase memories. I’m limited to only two or three trance functions, but my rise and burst are extraordinarily powerful.”

“I’m guessing you have ice and she’s fire?”

“Indeed.” Haruna said.

“Okay. But that doesn’t change the fact that you can’t be a ninja. There are too many chakra specific things.”

“That won’t be a problem. Our abilities are combat and assassination focused anyway. I can take out a target from upwards of six hundred meters with perfect accuracy.”

“Six hundred—! No, I would still need to talk to your mother about this, even if you would be capable of doing it.”

“Now’s not the time to pretend to be a parent. I can handle myself in the field, not to mention Haruna—sensei is always going to be with me.”

“Naruto…” Minato said, hurt that his son would say such a thing. “We’ll talk with your mother about this at dinner tonight.”

“That will be acceptable. We’re leaving Naruto.” Haruna said.

Without another word the two were gone in just the same way they came in. Minato buried his face in his hands and let out a long sigh. He seemed more drained than before after that one conversation. He stood up making three shadow clones to handle the rest of his paperwork before flashing home to speak to Kushina.


	7. Future in my Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto/DMC crossover I wrote at some point that managed to hit 25k words somehow.

Eight year old Naruto Uzumaki was currently in a lot of pain and regretting his decision to leave the house tonight. He’d been warned by the Hokage, just as every year, that it was better he not leave the house on his birthday. It was a time of high emotion and with him getting the blame for something he had no part in, things would likely turn out badly. Usually the old man would have someone watching him that he could trust to protect the boy. Naruto was brash and spontaneous by nature, so having someone there to make sure he was at least safe was always a must. This night, however, was different. Simply because all of his most trusted ninja were still out on a mission and wouldn’t be back for another few days. Their mission had run into some unforeseen problems which pushed the time line back and left the boy without protection. The old man himself could have watched the boy had an emergency political meeting.

And of course, this would be the night young Naruto would leave the house. He made it decently far before being noticed, particularly by a noticeably drunk Kurenai Yuhi. Normally she could at least tolerate the boy, and knew he in particular wasn’t responsible for her parents deaths, but tonight she wasn’t normal. A small crowd of especially hateful and inebriated people formed and knocked the kid around a bit. Nothing too violent until Kurenai snapped. Knowing the boy was in the ninja academy and wanting to take something away from him, she very brutally broke his right arm. By the time she was done she was sure he wouldn’t be able to use it again.

And it was moments later, amidst the slowly fading sobs of this young child, that she’d realized what she’d done. She’d immediately rushed off to grab the Hokage and get someone to try their best to fix his arm and the rest of him. By the time the two returned, most of the offenders were gone and only a few of them were arrested.

“Kurenai,” Hiruzen said coldly, “Under normal circumstances I’d have you jailed, and possibly executed.”

She nodded.

“However, considering you did come to get me and you smell like a brewery, I’m willing to let you off lightly.”

“Thank you-.”

“Don’t start celebrating. Because your punishment will stall your career for the next few years. I think four years without possibility of promotion along with a decrease in mission rewards will suffice, along with restricted access to certain other privileges. You will also be required to find the people who escaped and have them brought to me. This is to be a secret of the highest order. I recommend you not break it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Go home.”

Kurenai nodded and left, though she wasn’t able to sleep very well that night. Or the next few days for that matter.

This, however, brings us to the current situation. Young Naruto in the middle of the woods, no idea how far he is from any town or person and on the verge of passing out. Had he not been taking at least the physical aspect of his ninja training seriously, he likely wouldn’t have made it as far as he did. By the time his body finally gave out he was a good few miles outside the walls of the city.

Naruto snapped awake at some point after sunrise. He didn’t know where he was or how far he was from the village. He initially was going to go back, but he considered his now useless arm and continued the way he was going.

He walked all day, not taking many breaks. He didn’t know if anyone was looking for him or not, but he didn’t want to take the chance of being found. As sunset approached he nearly collapsed again. What kept him up was the sound of someone approaching.

“Hey. Are you okay?” He heard someone ask.

“Get away from me!” Naruto shouted, moving away from the voice. He saw a woman enter the small clearing and backed away further.

“Hey, calm down. I’m not gonna hurt you. I came to check on some noises I heard from my house. I’m guessing that was you?”

Naruto didn’t say anything, but was looking for a way to escape. Normally he would’ve been happy to have someone worried about him, but he didn’t know what she was about or if she was lying to him.

“You look really hurt.” She continued. “If you let me, I might be able to fix it up a bit.”

Naruto looked down at his limp right arm. It was still covered in a blood cuts.

“I just finished cooking if you need food. You can stay for the night if you want.”

And it was at that moment Naruto’s body gave out. His body not able to support him anymore and his mind too tired to stay awake. His choice had been made for him.

“Must’ve been more worn out than he thought.” The woman said as she gently lifted him up and walked back to her house.

—

Naruto snapped awake from a nightmare. He couldn’t remember it, but it was enough to break his sleep and leave him sweating. As he calmed down he realized he was in a bed. One far softer than the one at his old apartment. He looked around and found himself in a small room with little more decoration than a picture on the wall above the dresser, atop of which sat a set of clothes for him to wear.

It was at this point he noticed he was only in a pair of underwear and that his arm was in a cast. He would’ve been embarrassed, but for now he was just surprised someone helped him. A stranger no less. It was unusual for him to get an real kind of help from just about anyone, even the other kids in the academy.

Standing up slowly he made his way to the dresser and slipped the pants on as best he could. With use of only his off hand, this was far more difficult than he would have thought, but he managed. When it came to the shirt, he only managed to get his head and left arm through, not knowing what to do with his right since it was in a sling. This left the right side of the shirt hiked up to nearly his shoulder.

He left the room, mostly determined to leave this place, and found himself coming face to face, or face to stomach, with the woman who had brought him here.

“Oh, you’re up. I was just coming to check on you.” She said, looking down on him with a grin.

Naruto backed away slowly.

“Calm down kid, I’m not going to hurt you or anything. If I wanted to do that, I would’ve done so already. Not like I didn’t have the chance.”

Despite the off putting words, Naruto calmed down a bit. He knew she was right.

“Come here, let me fix your shirt.”

Naruto was hesitant, but stepped closer to her and let her slip his arm through the hole and put the sling back on.

“Now come on, I made breakfast.”

He followed her into the kitchen and took a seat at the table, watching as she scraped some food onto a plate and gave it to him.

He picked up the chopsticks, but had trouble using them, unused to using his left.

“Oh, you’re a righty, aren’t you?” She asked with a bit of sorrow in her voice.

“Yeah.”

She had a conflicted look on her face, not sure if she should tell him the news or not. Eventually she sighed and scratched her head.

“I’m not really sure how to tell you this, but… Your arm is pretty messed up. Whoever did that to you made sure to break it bad. It might heal up eventually, but you won’t be able to use it again. Not normally.”

She watched his expression carefully. He looked down at his arm with a mix of sadness and anger.

“But… But I was gonna be Hokage. I can still be a ninja with one arm, right?!”

“I… I doubt it. Unless you can get it replaced by another fully functional arm, you won’t be able to make it very far as a ninja.”

“I’m not hungry.” Naruto got up and went back into the room he was in.

She watched the boy go with a sigh. He apparently had big dreams that he would never accomplish. Though she didn’t know him very well, it still made her sad to think all his dreams were ruined because of something like this.

In the room Naruto was lying down, looking at his one working arm. He knew, at least on a subconscious level, that being Hokage would take more work for him than anyone else, but now he couldn’t even be a regular ninja properly. Or at the very least he wouldn’t make it past chunin at best if he could.

He felt hollow. More so then when he was alone at night thinking over his day. This was a level of emptiness he hadn’t felt before. It hurt more than normal to think about his situation. What was he supposed to do now? He doubted he could just go back to the Leaf. He didn’t want to go anywhere else. He didn’t really want to make this lady take care of him, either. What was there left to do?

These questions were too big for an eight year old to answer, even if he had learned to be self sufficient.

He startled with a knock on the door.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah.” He sighed.

The door opened and the woman came in. It was only now he really noticed her. She was tall, standing somewhere around six feet. She had mid back length blonde hair that was swept back and wore a sleeveless black top with a matching skirt.

“Listen kid,” She started, “I’m not really sure how to handle these things. I never had a kid. Didn’t really want to have one, but I also never really tried to get a guy. Not that I couldn’t. I know I’m good looking.” She smirked. “Anyway, I know this sucks, but you don’t exactly need ninjutsu to be a ninja. Though I’m not sure why you’d want to be in the first place. And you can also do one handed seals.”

“You can?!”

“It is possible, yes. I’ve seen some ninja do it. But if you don’t mind me asking, how did this happen to you?”

“I turned eight yesterday.”

“Oh…” The thought someone would do this to a kid on their birthday of all days was… well, horrific wasn’t quite the word she wanted, but it fit.

“The Hokage always told me not to go out. I was born on the same day the Nine tailed fox attacked and I guess people blame me or something. I went out and got attacked. There were a few people, but a woman with red eyes did the most damage.”

“Your arm.”

“Yeah…”

“Why would they blame you for the attack?”

“I don’t know. Most everyone in the village ignores me. They always whisper about me when I pass. Call me a demon.”

This caught her attention.

“But aren’t you?”

“What?! No!”

“Hm? Isn’t one of your parents half demon?” She asked.

“I don’t have parents.”

“Oh… Okay, that puts everything else in perspective. But I know you’re part demon. I can tell. I’m half demon.”

“W-what?”

“Don’t act so scared. I’m still human. Partly. I don’t like, go out of my way to hurt people. No, I’m a monster hunter.”

“Monster hunter?”

“Yeah.” She smiled. “I hunt things that go bump in the night.”

“Monsters aren’t real!”

“Yes they are. If they weren’t, I’d be out of a job.”

“What kinds of monsters?”

“Demons more often than not.”

“But why would you hunt demons if you are one?”

“Because I’m more human than not. Humanity is a concept more than a state of being. I’d call the people who did this to you more demons than you will ever be. Just because I have demon blood doesn’t make me not a person.”

“Why do you keep saying I’m part demon?”

“I can tell. I’m not sure how, but I’ve just always been able to feel out these things. I don’t know which parent it was, but one of them was half demon, making you quarter demon. There is something else about you, but I can’t quite tell.”

“Is that why everyone hated me?”

“No. I doubt your non hybrid parent knew. No one but your hybrid parent should know you’re part demon. I’ll have to look into it. But for now, I have an offer.”

“What is it?”

“I want you to be my apprentice.”

“Apprentice?”

“Yep. I want to teach you all about being a demon hunter. You don’t even need your other arm. I’ll have to teach you a lot, and we’ll have to get you up to scratch physically, but I can make you a bad ass demon hunter. Would you like that?”

“… I don’t know… I really wanted to be a ninja.”

“Well, I’m not classically trained as a ninja, but I do know enough to teach you some of the basics. I can show you that on the side.”

“Alright!”

“Great! Now come eat. We’ve got a lot to go over.”

“Wait, I never got your name.”

“Oh, I’m Eriko. You?”

“Naruto.”

——

It took a few months, but Naruto did learn to properly write and do what was needed with his left hand. This was helped along by the fact that he just wasn’t capable of using his right. He could flex it and move his hand a bit, but moving anything below the shoulder was nigh impossible. It took some convincing, but he managed to get Eriko to let him write a letter to the Hokage. He didn’t say where he was, but that he was in good hands and would write occasionally, but didn’t know if and when he would come back.

His training was grueling to say the least. It was not in his nature to sit around and learn things. He was more hands on than that. So needless to say having to sit down and learn all the weaknesses of all the things he would be hunting, how to hunt them, how to identify them, and how best to fight them was a real pain. Not to mention learning to use chakra without hand seals. He had to get a book or something for one handed seals at some point, he decided.

It was nearly a year after becoming Eriko’s apprentice that he was brought on a job with her. She preferred to teach on the job, but considering she only took a job every so often and he wasn’t actually capable of doing much should she take him, it took this long.

They were going after a demon that had been causing trouble out in Wind country. If not for intense and constant work outs, Naruto would not have made it very far without passing out.

It was when they finally made it to the desert that Naruto got to see the true wonder of Eriko’s job. They were walking towards the Hidden Sand when they felt s small earthquake.

“Naruto, get to that rock over there.” Eriko pointed.

Naruto ran and got onto the rock right as a giant worm burst from the sand.

“A Tunneler. Annoying.” Eriko said as she pulled her sword from her back. It was a large blade, nearly as tall as she was. The hilt was adorned with a snake head that seemed to spit the blade from it’s mouth. She called it Poison, for obvious reasons,, but also because it could release a secretion that caused a variety of different effects.

Naruto could only watch in awe as Eriko took on the massive sand worm demon, killing it in a matter of minutes.

“That was so cool!” Naruto shouted as he ran up to her.

“Yeah, well they aren’t all that easy.”

“Still! I’m going to be able to do that?!”

“Yeah, eventually,” She smiled. “Now let’s get to the Sand and grab some food and our payment.”

They only spent a few days in the Sand, but Naruto enjoyed it. He met this weird red haired kid who didn’t seem to like to talk, but opened up a bit when Naruto told him of his own troubles in the Leaf. The boy, Gaara, was still weird and quiet, but Naruto promised to come see him when he could.

It was a few months after his Ninth birthday, sometime in January, that Naruto was given his own sword. Eriko had lots of weapons and let Naruto pick out the one he wanted to use.

“If you want to be a proper demon killer, of course you need a weapon just as powerful. I’ve picked up a few in my years and you’re welcome to take one. I switch Poison out every so often, but thats just because some of the tough ones are immune to her poison. Go ahead and take your pick of what I have and we’ll see if you won’t need a different one.” She opened the door to what most would consider a small armory.

Most of the weapons were vicious looking, because they were devil weapons, but some were more tame looking.

“Hey, what are these?” Naruto asked, picking up and L shaped weapon.

“That’s a gun. The technology to make these has been pretty much lost and when they do get found that have to be modified to work on chakra, which is nigh impossible for a weapon most don’t understand. I’m not much of a fan, which is why I don’t use them, but you can use one if you want. It would probably work well for you. That one there is called a M1911. If you’re going to be using guns, that’s a good start. The higher caliber ones would probably break your arm.”

“Alright.” He said, deciding to stick it in his pocket.

“Whoa! No! You never just put a gun in your pocket. If it goes off, bye-bye leg.”

“Oh.”

That would be bad for him.

“Here, put this on.” She grabbed a small harness and strapped it to him.

“Oh, this works.”

“It’s supposed to. Just pick a sword already.”

Naruto walked down the rows of weapons, but none of them really called out to him. Sure, they all looked really cool, but some of them were too big, some were too small, and some just weren’t his style.

He was nearly out of weapons to look at when something caught his eye. It was almost tucked away behind some others, but he found a gold sword with a blade that curved to a point that still allowed for thrust attacks. It was a long sleek curved sword in gold, what was not to love? He picked it up and felt an odd rush of familiarity. The weapon felt perfect in his hand and it didn’t seem to be too heavy. Eriko told him not to worry about weight since he’d be able to swing her blade with ease in a few years.

“That one, huh? Considering your love of all things orange, I can’t say I’m surprised. Funny enough, it’s one of the few in here without a name, so you can pick it.”

“Nova.” Was the name out of his mouth as he examined the blade.

“Nova… I like it. Let’s get to training you.”

——

Once more the training was grueling. She taught him basic sword forms, just so he’d have some structure in combat. Even though she was freestyle, she knew them as well, and told him he could use a free style too when he actually knew what he was doing. They sparred constantly and she found Naruto to be quite the quick learner when he was actually focused on learning. Despite the blade being just over 2.5 feet, it was a weapon built for speed. Naruto could move incredibly fast with the blade and it was nearly weightless in his hands. He took advantage of this and focused his style more around speed than anything else.

She also bumped up his chakra training. She found out he had a lot of it and did her best to make sure he could control it. It was only a few days before he was walking on trees and a few weeks before he was walking on water. She taught him how to use his demonic energy, which came easier than chakra use, but it was still difficult. It took him nearly three months to get the use of Air Hike down. Once he did, though, he was able to do a few of them in a row.

His other studies were a drag, but he did progress extremely well in them when Eriko could get him to focus. She couldn’t say she was all that surprised with the development. He’d largely calmed down in the year he was with her. Not nearly as loud or hyper active. He was still a big goof, but he wasn’t reckless or impatient. He also seemed to have gotten over the loss of his arm. It still caused him pain from time to time, but he wasn’t nearly as sad over it.

She allowed him to participate in jobs with smaller demons like Scarecrows and Beelzebubs, and even the occasional Blade or Assault, or even Marionettes or Fetishes. They came across Frosts sometimes and Naruto grew to dislike them as much as Assaults. Their stupid Ice pillar drop got on his nerves to no end. Every job out in Wind Country landed them in Sand for a few days just so Naruto could hang out with Gaara, who seemed to appreciate the company despite his outwardly stoic attitude.

It was also during his second year with her that he came to learn the reason why everyone back in the Leaf hated him. He was sleeping when he suddenly woke up in a sewer with high cracked walls and about an inch of water on the floor. The hallways seemed to be endless as he walked. That is until he came across a large golden cage.

“So, you’ve finally come to meet me.” A deep, growly voice rumbled from behind the bars.

“Uh… Who are you? Where am I?” Naruto asked.

A massive pair of red eyes opened and a large fox, at least twelve times his height appeared from the darkness.

“We are in your mind. I’m the Nine Tailed Fox.”

“You’re… Then why… Everything suddenly makes a lot more sense.” Naruto said, putting the pieces together as he spoke.

“Yes. You’re not nearly as stupid now that you’ve escaped that God forsaken village. I could only imagine how you would’ve turned out had you stayed. This demon hunter woman is good for you.”

“Okay, but why are you sealed in side me?”

“Because your Fourth Hokage could not defeat me. He had to seal me into a child. His child. You.”

“I’m… Holy shit.” Naruto leaned against the wall and took a seat.

“Indeed. I’m sure you’ve been wondering as well, but your mother was the half demon. I was sealed into her before you.”

“This is a lot to take in.”

“I’m sure.”

Naruto was silent for a few minutes, the fox content to groom itself while the information was absorbed.

“Why did you attack the leaf? How did you even get out? Why were you sealed away in the first place?”

“Now that is an interesting question. Neither of my last two containers ever cared to ask me about myself.”

“People care little for things they don’t care to understand.”

“Do you not think the same of the demons you hunt?”

“I’ve observed them. They’re little more than mindless killers, destroying what they can for fun. You have beyond human intellect. There had to have been something behind it. You don’t seem like the type to kill for fun so far.”

“True enough. I was sealed away because it was what your first Hokage did to me and all my siblings. He didn’t trust us to live by ourselves and so felt humanity must have our powers at their disposal. As for attacking the Leaf those years ago… Simply put, someone went through the trouble of setting me free. Of course, you spend several years trapped and ignored you build up a decent amount of rage!” The end of the sentence was growled out. “Knowing that being out meant I was likely to be resealed, I attempted to flee. Someone stopped me. I don’t remember much, save for a Sharingan, but next thing I knew I was being resealed. Which is how your parents died. At least, that’s how your father died. Your mother, being half demon, should not have succumbed to just being impaled. You, being a quarter demon, should be able to survive a blade through the heart relatively easily. I had been sealed into you by that point, so I don’t know what happened to her.”

“Interesting… Why tell me all of this? I figured you’d be standoffish or something.”

“I find it difficult to hate you considering the life you lived. Usually your body would have used my chakra to heal your arm, or I’d force it through myself, but the amount it would have taken to completely fix it would have either driven you mad or killed you. You don’t seem to hate me either.”

“Well, I just found out about you. And, if what you’ve told me is true, I can’t rightly hate you for something you didn’t really want to do. My treatment is no more your fault than you being sealed in me is my fault. Choice was taken out of the matter and we had something forced upon us that we didn’t want.”

“… Well stated child. I still want my freedom, but it seems I won’t have to kill you to get it.”

“How will you get it?”

“I have several ideas, but I’ll have to think them over. For now, you should get up. It’s time to train.”

And with that he was up. The two would have conversations every so often after Naruto explained everything to Eriko. The fox would give him pointers and they got along fairly well.

At Naruto’s tenth birthday he received a gift from Eriko: A black ring with the Uzumaki crest on it.

“Is this…”

“It’s a ring with your clans crest on it. I figured you’d want something to be close to them. The metal is from Whirlpool. And read the inside.” She smiled.

Love, Mom - Eriko

“I love it.” He said, wrapping her in a tight hug that she returned. It had only been two years, but they really were more like a mother and son than anything else. He didn’t call her that often, but he did slip a few times, the first of which left them both flustered.

“I’m glad!” She smiled. “I even got you your favorite cake!”

That was a happy night. Even the fox had some fun.

But happiness can’t last forever.

It was September of the next year and the two had gotten a job somewhere in Earth Country. They weren’t sure of the details, but knew it was something pretty shady. They were a few miles north east of the Hidden Rock when they reached their destination. It was a massive estate built into a canyon.

It was filled with all kinds of demons that Naruto didn’t even know existed. It was tough, but they fought through it.

And at the end of it all they found out they were being played. Their client had called them to do the steps to open a portal to hell. Not a permanent one, but it would be open long enough for some pretty nasty stuff to get through.

Eriko told Naruto to stay out of the fight. He argued, but she shut him down. It was her fight and he would stay out of it. He didn’t like it, but he relented.

It was the hardest he’d ever seen her fight.

He suddenly realized that Eriko had never tried before. She was strong enough that nothing was a danger to her. Even with the use of her devil trigger the demon gave her trouble. It was when she was knocked out of her devil trigger that he worried for her.

Lying on her stomach, tired and actually winded, Eriko heard Naruto shout just as a blade was shoved though her chest. Her blade. The pain was immense. She could only guess which of the poisons was currently coursing though her. It hurt, despite a blade to the chest basically being an average Tuesday, and she almost wanted to give up. It had been a hard fight and it didn’t seem she had a chance of winning. Getting knocked out of devil trigger was definitely a sign of that. But Naruto shouting for her gave her a renewed sense of energy. Even if she died, she’d win this fight. For him.

Naruto could only cheer for her as she got up, despite how tired she was. She pulled her blade from the ground and declared the demon a dead monster walking. She fought with renewed vigor, dodging and deflecting blows with what seemed to be ease. Stabbing and cutting and bashing the demon with raw power. The fight was near it’s end and all could tell. With a final war cry Eriko stabbed her blade through the chest of the demon, it catching fire as it impaled the things heart.

And just as she did, it’s massive wings slammed into her, squeezing her like a stress toy, several of the spiked impaling her.

“Eriko!” Naruto screamed.

“Stay back!” She yelled. “I might not make it.”

“Please, you have to! You’re all I have!”

“Naruto, listen to me! You have to get out of here! The portal is closing. If you don’t leave you’ll be trapped here.”

“I won’t leave you! I can’t! I need you!”

“Naruto!” Her tone startled him. “You’ve grown to be a strong boy since I found you in those woods. You’re more than capable of handling yourself without me. I know it’s going to hurt, but you have to move on! You can’t focus on my death or you’ll stagnate and go crazy! You’ll be nothing but a husk of who you are! I love you! You know I do! But you can’t stay hung up on my death. You knew I wasn’t always going to be there to protect you. You have to go it alone now, and I’m sorry it’s so early, but please, Naruto, for me, leave and go on with your life!”

“Eriko, Mom, please don’t do this!” He cried.

“I know… I know it’s early. But I have a gift for you. Take care of it. And my sword.”

With her final bit of energy Eriko pulled her blade down through the side of the demon and tied something to the hilt before tossing it to Naruto. He started to speak, but she cut him off.

“Now go! The gate is closing!” She shouted.

Naruto ran for the gate and made it through with a bit of spare time. He turned back to see Eriko’s bloody face smiling at him, still stuck to the demon.

Naruto looked at the thing she’d tied to hilt of the blade. It was the tear shaped sapphire necklace she always wore as well as a silver pendant with their pictures inside.

Naruto couldn’t hold it. He just cried. And as he cried Naruto felt his demonic power rise. He didn’t know what was happening, but his busted arm suddenly hurt. More so than usual. He bit back cries of pain as he felt it change. His bandages burned away as his arm exploded with energy and became red with blue cracks down the sides and long one down the center. His palm and inside of his fingers were glowing bright blue whole the back of his hand was red save for the blue crack that stopped a bit past the wrist.

When he was finally better, the sun was rising. He decided the only thing he could do was leave. He went to grab Eriko’s blade, but it was absorbed into his arm. He didn’t question this and instead began to make his way towards the Sand.

The trip took longer than usual, but Naruto finally made it to the sand after nearly a week of walking.

Gaara approached the door with confusion and hesitation. Not that he was scared, because he’d kill anyone who would dare try anything, but because it wasn’t often anyone knocked on his door. He lived separate from his father, and because Temari refused to leave him by himself, she lived with him as well. Kankuro slept there sometimes, but the fear of his younger brother repelled him as much as most others.

He swung the door open slowly and was surprised to find his blond haired friend of the last few years at the door alone and very down looking.

“Naruto.” He said. “Welcome. Where is your teacher.”

“Dead.” Naruto said lowly.

“Oh…” The two were silent for some time before Gaara remembered what he should do in this situation.

“Come in.”

“Thanks.”

“Who was at the door?” Temari asked. She’d learned not to answer the door for fear of assassination attempts on her brother. He could survive them untouched. She could not. He’d even told her as much, which she found sweet in a disturbing sort of way.

“It’s Naruto. His teacher has died.” He explained.

“I’ll put some tea on.”

In all honesty Temari liked Naruto. He was a good kid and was the reason for her brothers more open nature in the last few years. Well, as open as a sociopath could be. In truth, he was slowly returning to who he was as a small child and she thanked Naruto for it every so often.

When the tea was out, Naruto explained what had happened on their last mission, also having to explain some thing’s they’d kept hidden before. Gaara was surprised to find out there was someone else like him, while Temari was in awe of all of it.

“I’m sorry,” He said, “Would it be okay if I go to sleep now?”

“I’ll show you to your room.” Temari told him.

He stayed with the siblings for a week before finally going home. Temari helped him with his sling and wrapping for his new arm and even helped buy some supplies for the trip. He thanked the two and finally left.

Naruto felt more alone than he’d ever felt at the house without Eriko. It hurt being there alone. He decided he couldn’t stay so went into town to buy several sealing scrolls so he wouldn’t have to leave all the weapons she’d amassed over the years in the cabin and susceptible to thievery.

With a final look at the living room, Naruto sighed and left the house, off on the first step of his journey across the nations.

———————

Naruto had just finished a job and was on his way back to the Leaf. He was nearly thirteen now and he was more alone than ever. Not that he hadn’t met people and had an amazing time in his two years of traveling alone, but with the fox gone, it gave him more time to think than ever.

He looked down at the gun he kept holstered to his left hip, the name Kurama engraved in the side with the Kanji for 1 under it. Almost a year after his departure from his home the fox had finally come up with a way to gain his freedom. He’d become a devil arm. That way Naruto could always keep part of him, and he’d just reform in a few decades, no problem.

The process was a bit painful because he had to release the seal, which let him meet his parents, but it worked out for the most part. His demon side was slightly stronger as a result. He did also get a pretty sick gun out of the deal, Kurama being able to transform into several different forms, including a fucking rocket launcher. He also discovered a few things about his blade, that he’d found interesting.

His journey across the nations was more eventful than he initially thought it would be. He figured he’d travel around, kill some demons every so often, fight off some bandits, learn some ninja techniques everyone once in a while, and reflect on his life in the process.

Nope.

He was fighting more often than he thought he’d be. There were demons everywhere and people payed big to get them killed. He once had to kill a giant toad demon in Water Country. That was a really eventful day. He also learned that he hated Water Country with a burning passion.

Fucking Frosts everywhere.

Lightening Country had an abundance of Blitzes, Faults and Blades were plentiful in Earth Country, and Wind Country had an infestation of Mephistos, Fausts, and Sin Scissors and Scythes. Surprisingly, Fire Country seemed to have a lot of Hells lurking around, along with the occasional Arachne and, unsurprisingly, a lot of Chimera. They didn’t have much to stick to, though scarecrows did pop up now and then everywhere, but they were plentiful.

On his trip he managed to run into Tsunade of the Sannin and that was an interesting day. He’d beaten her at several hands of poker, had her throw a major fit at him, and then had her teach him something as compensation. She didn’t like it, but it was better than having to pay him in any other way, including monetarily.

He tried not to spend too much time in Water Country partly because the place was in the middle of a civil war, but mostly because he didn’t like dealing with Frosts. Even after the war was over he gave the place a wide berth as often as he could.

Same with Earth Country because they didn’t take too well to most outsiders, and he didn’t want to be caught there.

He learned basic jutsu and even one handed seals in his travels, which was a plus. Water clones were probably the easiest to get down of the basics.

“Identification?” A gate ninja asked.

“Huh? Oh.” Naruto pulled out his I.D.

“Whoa, what?! I thought you were dead!” The guard said.

“Nope. Just roughed up. Really badly.” Naruto motioned to his arm.

“How’d you survive?”

“I found someone who took care of me.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear it. I was never a fan of how you were treated here. No matter the circumstances, you were just a little kid.”

“Thanks. I’m glad to hear it.”

“You go ahead on in. Be careful though.”

“Thank you.” Naruto nodded and went on his way.

Wanting to avoid the streets, and see how his old home had faired in his absence, Naruto took to the roof tops, dashing quickly between them. He was unsurprised to see the old building had been remodeled into a restaurant. It needed to be condemned anyway. What did surprise him was the whole neighborhood looked better than it used to. Shrugging, he made his way to the Hokage’s office.

—

Kurenai Yuhi had finally made Jonin. She was often asked why she hadn’t tried earlier, and she just waved the question off as not feeling prepared for the position. Of course, she was the only one who knew the true reason besides the Hokage. What she had done to poor little Naruto Uzumaki that night all those years ago. It absolutely ate her up inside to think about that night. It haunted her and kept her up at night. It was a miracle she hadn’t developed a drinking problem at this point. What really saved her from that was Hinata Hyuga. The girl was shy and introverted, but even more so when Naruto left.

It hurt her to know that she was the cause of the girls lack of will for so long. Due to her lack of progress, as well as few other factors, Hinata was exiled from the Hyuga clan. Through some very clever trickery, bribery, and likely blackmail and threats by her father, she managed to get out of it without the caged bird seal. She was immediately adopted by Kurenai, who moved them into a house from her small apartment. The only one on the market at the time was far too big for just the two of them, so Anko moved in trying to save money. They still ended up with several spare bedrooms.

She was standing in the office of the Hokage, reporting back from a mission when the door suddenly swung open behind her. The entire team turned around and were met with a boy standing about 5’5 inches dressed in a black zip up hoodie with orange lining and strings that was partially opened to reveal a black shirt with a gray print that was blocked by his arm in it’s sling, and a silver locket around his neck. Below that he was wearing dark blue pants and black shoes. He had a holster for something on his left hip and a sword on his back. He was obviously very physically fit, and it showed in his face and the small amount of his body that was visible through his clothes.

“Momma likes.” Was the sultry reply from a woman with purple hair.

“I’m thirteen, lady.”

“I still like. How about you call me up in a few years?” She smirked.

“I’ll consider it.” He smirked back.

Asuma looked at the boy in a bit of confusion, but not much else.

It was Kurenai that was shocked dumb. She had thought he was dead for nearly a year after he disappeared. The Hokage did eventually tell her he was alive, though without use of his right arm. She’d cried for hours that night, happy that she hadn’t killed an innocent child. Still, she never expected him to come back to the Leaf. Especially so soon. But what shocked her more was that he looked like he’d been on active duty for years.

“N-Naruto?” She asked quietly.

“That’s the name, don’t wear it out.” He said.

“Naruto! Good to see you! How have you been?” The old Hokage asked with a smile.

“Hey, old man! I’ve been pretty good. It’s been kind of hard this past year or so, but I’ve been worse, so I pulled through.” He said with a smile.

“Glad to hear you’ve been well. Mostly. Asuma, get the report to me in writing by tomorrow. You and Anko are dismissed.”

“Sir.”

“See you later, Kurenai!” Anko said. Stopping next to Naruto she wrapped an arm around his shoulder and whispered in his ear, “You too, hot stuff.”

“Maybe.” He said as she left.

The room was silent for a few seconds once the door was closed. Naruto broke the silence when he gestured to the door.

“Is that chick always like that?”

“Usually. Anko often flirts for fun and it’s almost impossible to tell if she’s serious or not.” Hiruzen sighed.

“Huh. So, why’d you call me back to the village?”

“So you can be a ninja.”

“What?” He and Kurenai asked.

“I called you back so you can be a ninja. The academy class graduates in a few days. I want you to be a part of it.”

“Ew, you want to put me with the fresh Genin? Gross. Why not just bump me up to Special Jonin and let me do my own thing?”

“Naruto, with your arm, you might barely make chunin. What makes you think you can handle special Jonin at just 13?”

“Old man,” Naruto’s voice became serious and, quite frankly, it frightened the other two occupants, “I’ve killed things that even you would have nightmares about. Things you didn’t even know existed. Trust me when I say I can handle it.”

Hiruzen was silent at the sudden change in atmosphere. After several moments he coughed and began to speak again.

“Be that as it may, I’m sure you could benefit from being on a genin team. If only to boost your teamwork and leaderships skills. I’m sure there are still things you could learn as well.”

“I doubt I could learn anything of actual merit on a genin team. Besides, they wouldn’t be able to handle the things I fight in my main job. Most of your Jonin probably wouldn’t be mentally prepared for it. Putting them in that situation would just be irresponsible.”

“Naruto, I’m putting you on a genin team. That is final.”

“Only if you give me a jutsu.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

“Good. Now, I believe she has something she wants to say to you.” Hiruzen gestured to Kurenai.

Naruto looked at the red eyed beauty blankly, waiting for her to speak.

“Ah… Uh, I, um…” Kurenai stuttered. She didn’t know where to start. How to apologize for all the pain she’d caused him.

“Wow. I know I’m good looking, but you’re acting like a school girl.” He smirked.

Kurenai blushed. She would be upset at the comment if it weren’t true. She was just too flustered to gather her thoughts.

“Take your time.” He said with a smile that seemed to help calm her down.

After a few more moments she finally gathered herself enough to do what she thought she should.

Kurenai dropped to her knees and prostrated.

“I, Kurenai Yuhi, offer to you, Naruto Uzumaki, the purest, most sincere apology I can. I can’t express how much I truly regret what I did. I-I’m so, so, so, so, so sorry for breaking your arm the way I did. For attacking you at all. It was a moment of weakness and I very nearly ruined your life. I beg you, please accept my apology.”

Naruto’s eyebrows raised and he looked at Hiruzen, who was more shocked than he was.

“Jeez, talk about melodramatic.” Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t really know how to deal with these situations. Stand up, would you?”

Kurenai was surprised at his calm and joking reply to her apology. She figured he would hate her for the pain she’d caused him.

“You’re… You’re not mad?” She asked, wiping tears from her eyes. She couldn’t believe she was actually crying.

“No. I forgave you a long time ago.” He said.

“Y-You did?”

“Yeah. I was mad at first. Afraid I could never be a ninja. But mom found me, we’re talking about my parents in a bit old man, and helped me through it. Hell, thanks to your fuck up I had on objectively better life than I ever did and would have here.”

Both adults flinched at his words. Hiruzen not only did not want to not have that parent conversation, but he knew Naruto was right. Kurenai flinched at the obvious part, still deeply ashamed of herself and what she’d done.

“T-thank you. But I still feel as if I should do something for you. As a token of my apology.”

“You can treat me to lunch.”

“Deal!” She accepted all too quickly.

“It’s your wallet.” Hiruzen mumbled.

“Now, old man. Before we get to my parents, I need a place to stay.”

“Ah, right. Your old building was torn down. I’m sure I could find something on the market for you. Until then, how about you stay in the Gold Leaf hotel.”

“Actually, I have an extra room. You can live with us. I’d be more than happy to take you in.” Kurenai said.

“You’re already buying me lunch.”

“It’s no problem, really. I have more than enough room. My house is already too big for the three of us.”

“Well, if you insist, who am I to deny.” He smiled and so did she.

“You won’t regret this.” She said.

“I’m sure.”

“Kurenai, will you please wait outside while I speak with Naruto?”

“Of course, sir.”

Kurenai left and Hiruzen sighed.

“That poor womans wallet.” He said.

“Eh, she wanted to offer something.”

“I know, I know. So, how did you find out about your parents.”

“Before that, did you know my mother was half demon?”

“I… did not. That is not a fact I was aware of.”

“I looked into it, and apparently her father, the previous leader of the Uzumaki clan, was actually a demon who wanted to live among and protect humans. Making me quarter demon.”

“Wow…” Not many things surprised the old man. Being a veteran of all three Ninja Wars left little to be surprised about. This was one of those things.

“Yeah. Anyway, why not tell me about my parents? Why leave me to wonder if I was abandoned or not?”

“Naruto, I’m sorry. Truly I am. It was not the best of times. I was worried about the backlash we would face from our enemies in our weakened state at the time. It doesn’t take much to kill a child, after all. The reason we did release your Jinchuuriki status was your fathers wish. He wanted you to be hailed as a hero for holding back the fox. Unfortunately both he and I believed far too much in the goodness of the village.”

“Hm… Well, It’s all water under the bridge now. I’m not even a Jinchuuriki anymore. What can you tell me about inheritance?”

“Well, your parents house was destroyed in the fox attack. They did leave you a relatively sizable bank account though, as well as several jutsu scrolls.”

“Sweet. When can I get access to all that?”

“When you pass the test.”

“Damn.”

“And… Wait, did you say you’re not a Jinchuuriki anymore?”

“Yup. Ole’ foxy is gone now. That’s why this last year has been so hard. He’s not up here griping at me anymore.” He pressed a finger to his temple.

“I’m guessing he’s the one who told you about your parents.”

“Yup.”

“How did you kill him?”

“I didn’t. I let him go.”

“You what?!”

“Calm down before you have a heart attack. He wasn’t as bad as you think. He said someone with a Sharingan manipulated him before he could run after escaping moms seal. He was a really chill guy for the most part. Part of his soul is this weapon.” Naruto spun Kurama in his hand before showing it to the old man.

“What is that?”

“It’s a gun. Shoots metal fast enough to penetrate a person and keep going for a few hundred meters.”

“Oh…”

“This one was made using part of the Nine tails soul, so as a result has several forms.”

“Is there anyway we can analyze this for mass production?”

“Sorry, old man, but It’s unique to me. I’m the only one who can use it. Senbon and kunai launchers are making a comeback though, so I recommend you try those.”

“Unfortunate. So where did the fox go?”

“Well, seeing as how he was literally a giant manifestation of chakra, he’ll reform in a couple of decades or so.”

“So there’s no way to get rid of him for good?”

“Not unless you can call the literal shinigami.”

“Hm… Well you better get-.”

“Before I leave, how did my mom die? The fox shouldn’t have been able to kill her.”

“I saw her die. My guess is a mix of a few things, but by the time we were able to get to her she was as lifeless as a doll.”

“Unfortunate…” Naruto sighed.

“Truly. Now, try not to completely kill Kurenai’s wallet.”

“Even if I was planning to, she’d deserve it.” He said with a coy smile.

Hiruzen could only sigh as the boy left.

“Lets get going, ruby eyes. I hope you like ramen.” Naruto said as he passed her.

It was nearly fifteen minutes later that they arrived at Ichiraku.

“Hello, hello, your number one customer has returned!” Naruto said as he walked in.

“Who’s- Naruto!” Teuchi shouted. “Ayame, get in here!” he called to his daughter.

“What’s wrong d- Naruto!” She rushed around the counter and tackled him in a hug. “We thought you were dead!” She cried causing Kurenai to flinch.

“Aw, I’m tougher than that.” Naruto smiled.

“What happened to your arm?” She asked, wiping tears away.

“Oh, this was why I left. Got beat pretty badly and lost use of my arm.”

Ayame immediately turned to rage. “Oh, when I catch whoever did this to you they’re dead! We’ll be having a ramen special for a few days!”

Several customers suddenly were happy that they never tried anything against the blond boy. Kurenai looked like she would be sick.

“We’re not going to serve human ramen, sweetie.” Teuchi said absentmindedly.

“Oh, don’t be like that, Ayame. If I can move on, so can you.”

“Oh, fine. But you eat free today!”

“I couldn’t do that to you! It’s been so long you’d go bankrupt if you did that.”

“He’s right.” Teuchi chimed in.” Your first seven bowls are free.” He smiled.

“Thanks!” Naruto smiled, then turned to Kurenai, who didn’t believe he would really eat that much. “Rejoice, Kurenai, for your wallet has been spared from total death.”

She suddenly had an ominous feeling.

Kurenai was in complete awe at the stack of bowls next to Naruto.

Thirty five.

He’d eaten thirty five bowls of ramen.

In a row.

Non stop.

She had to pay for twenty eight bowls of ramen.

She couldn’t believe he’d really eaten that much.

She suddenly realized he’d likely eat her out of house and home.

“Relax. I don’t normally eat this much. It’s just here.” He said with a smile.

“Oh, whatever you little con.” She smiled back.

“Thanks for the fantastic food! It’s been so long. Can’t wait to come again.” Naruto said.

“Come back whenever you want!” The father-daughter pair called as the two left the ramen bar.

“So, where to now?”

“We’re going home. Are you going to need to send for your stuff or something?”

“No. I’ve been traveling for the last few years, so I keep everything on me.”

“All you have are the clothes on your back and your weapons.”

“Exactly!”

“Naruto, isn’t that too light?”

“I’m joking. Everything is in a scroll sealed in my hand.”

“Oh. Well. That’s smart.”

“Right?”

“Would you mind telling me how things were? After I…”

“I was only alone for a day or two. I somehow managed to get over twenty miles east of here in just a little over a day. That’s where Eriko picked me up. I was upset to find out about my arm at first, but she taught me her trade and I was a lot happier with her than I ever was here. She was like my mom.”

“I feel like something bad is coming.” Kurenai said.

“Yeah. She died when we were out on a mission. I couldn’t stand to be at home without her, so I was traveling for the last two years.” He gripped the pendant around his neck lightly.

“I’m sorry to hear you lost someone so close to you.”

Naruto offered her a somber smile. “It’s not like it’s your fault. Besides, I don’t like to dwell on it. No where to go but forward.”

“That’s… Very mature of you.”

“I’ve been told.”

“Well, this is my house. Our house.” They stopped in front of a relatively large building that looked more like a small mansion than a house.

“That’s pretty big.”

“It’s too big.”

“That’s what she said.”

“Shut up, you little perv!” She lightly smacked his arm. She would be mad at that joke if Anko hadn’t made constant sexual innuendo. “The place is too big for just the three of us living here, so you staying is perfect.”

“Thanks again, still.” Naruto said as they walked in.

“Whoa, I knew I said I’d see you later, but I didn’t think it’d be this soon! And look at you, Kurenai! You call me a cradle robber, but you’re finally seeing that younger guys are the best! Go girl!” Anko cheered as the two walked in.

“Stop it, Anko! He’ll be living here from now on since he doesn’t have a place to stay.” Kurenai said, blushing slightly.

“Ah, right. Your old place got demolished. Sucks, but welcome.” Anko kicked back on the couch.

“Thanks.” Naruto said.

“How about I give you a tour for now?”

“Kay.”

Kurenai showed him around the house, except the area where he’d be. She wanted to save the surprise for later. Hinata said she’d be out with a few friends, so missed dinner.

“That was good. You can really cook.” Naruto said when he was done eating.

“Thank you. It’s split between two of us because someone can’t cook.” She eyed Anko, who suddenly found the ceiling very interesting.

“At least you don’t have to worry about cooking mishaps.”

“ Perhaps. Well, you’ve got to get up for school, so I recommend you take a bath and get to bed.” Kurenai said.

“Pfft. What are you, my mom?” He joked.

Kurenai didn’t quite know how to respond to that. That he could make a joke like that after just explaining what had happened with the woman he considered his mom.

“Oh lighten up, I’m just joking. Can you show me which room I’ll be staying in?”

“Right. Follow me.”

Kurenai gave him a short tour of the house before showing him his room on the first floor. She figured he’d like it more if he had a large chunk of the house to himself.

“Spacious.” He said as he looked into the large room. It was the master bedroom for the first floor, leaving him with more than enough space for lots of activities.

“Yep. I thought you might prefer to have a lot of space to yourself, and I wouldn’t want you to accidentally end up in the wrong room, or for Anko to ‘accidentally’ end up in your room.”

“I do like it, thanks. Is that a bathroom?” He pointed to a door off the side of the room.

“Yup. You and I have our own bathrooms.”

“Sweet. Well, thanks for all this. I think I’ll get off to bed.”

“Alright. Goodnight, Naruto.”

“Night, Kurenai.”

She closed the door and walked off, the most happy with herself she’d been in years. She felt like she could finally start making it up to him, even if he did say he already forgave her. She felt a little evil for not telling Hinata he was back, but her reaction when she saw him in the morning would be priceless.

Naruto waited for a few minutes before unwrapping his arm. He’d gotten used to using the Devil Bringer and had gotten just as used to acting like it was a useless arm. Even if he couldn’t use it, it was still incredibly useful as storage if nothing else. The fact it could absorb things for safe keeping was the best. In the last two years the arm had changed from it’s initial glowing blue and red to mostly just black. It was black and scaled with thin blue lines that twisted down it. The back of his hand was not solid black and only the palm side of his hand glowed slightly.

It’s powers, as he figured out, were pretty amazing. An entire spectral arm that could be used for far more difficult or far bigger opponents was useful. He also would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy yanking people to him and suplexing them into next week. Beyond storage and more reach, though, he couldn’t do much else with the arm. Which was fine by him. It was way stronger than his other arm by miles, simply for it’s demonic nature. Which said a lot because he could throw around massive swords like they were weightless.

Stretching, he pulled his “Home Scroll”, as he liked to call it, from his arm and pulled out his clothes and things to shower with before heading to the bathroom.

He had a surprisingly peaceful rest that night.

——

Naruto woke up, as he often did, with a big yawn and stretch. Remembering he was in a village, he wrapped his arm before putting on his outfit and sling. Even with this routine it took him at least half an hour to fully wake up, which was why he completely missed the squeak of a girl followed by thumping as she fell. He was in the middle of yawning when it happened.

“Morning.” He said with a stretch, pulling a box of pizza from his scroll and popping it open.

“Naruto, what are you eating?” Kurenai asked, after helping Hinata up.

“Pizza.” He said casually.

“What is pizza?”

“It’s bread, tomato sauce, cheese, and whatever other toppings you want all baked together into deliciousness. I ran into the stuff, along with some other really good foods, when I left the Elemental Nations for a few months.”

“N-N-Na-Naruto? I-is that r-r-r-really y-y-you?” Hinata asked dumbly.

“The one and only in the flesh.” He said as he looked up from his food. He squinted and cocked his head slightly, examining the girl in front of him, making her shrink even further away from him and her face burn hotter. “I think I remember you… You were in my class before I left… You’re… Hinata, right?”

“Y-y-yes. I-It’s g-g-good t-to see you again.”

“You too.” He smiled. “I’m guessing you’re still in the academy?” She nodded. “Great. I can walk with you.”

Hinata fainted again.

“Oh man, this is comedy gold.” Anko laughed.

“She gonna be okay?” Naruto asked.

“She’ll be fine. Just give her some time to adjust to you being here.”

“Kay.” Naruto said, lazily eating another slice.

The walk to the academy was slow going, partially because Naruto just didn’t care, and partially because Hinata was too nervous to do much. By the time they finally got there, class was just starting.

“Hinata, you were almost late.” Iruka said.

“S-sorry, Iruka-s-s-sensei.”

“It’s fine. Take your seat. And can I help you?” He turned to Naruto.

“Uh, yeah, this.” Naruto pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to the man who read it over.

“I see. Alright everyone, we’ll have a new student joining us. He’ll likely be graduating along you all in the next few days, so treat him well. Naruto, Introduce yourself.”

“Sup. I’m Naruto. I’m not sure if any of you remember me, but I did used to go here. I don’t think there’s a whole lot you need to know about me other than I really like food. You give me some food and I can make some time for you. That’s not always a requirement, but it’s a good way to get my attention if you really want it.”

“How come he gets to just come and take the test out of nowhere!” A pink haired girl asked loudly.

“Because the Hokage said he could.”

“That’s not fair!”

“Life’s not fair.” Naruto said, shutting the girl up.

“Alright then. How about you take the empty seat next to Tenten.” Iruka said.

Naruto looked around and found the person he was talking about, a girl dressed in Chinese martial arts clothing with her brown hair tied into two buns on her head. He nodded and sat next to the girl.

“Alright, now, let’s start with the our review of the wars.” Iruka started.

—

Kurenai was standing in the Hokage’s office, looking at him nervously as he thought over her request.

“You want me to put Naruto on your team?”

“Yes.”

“You’re going to be mostly teaching a tracking team.”

“It’s a valid skill for any ninja, and it would be best if a tracking team had at least one striker.”

“Fair point. But I’m not sure if I should put him on your team if you’re just trying to make amends with him. It could lead to shows of favoritism.”

“I understand your concerns, but I would never do that. Hinata is already going to be on my team. I will be focusing on what they need to learn. Though I’m not sure what Naruto actually needs to learn.”

“You should know by the time he graduates. That’s why I called him back a few days before. They go over reviews of all material. Today should be the more practical skills after lunch. Iruka will tell us how he did and we’ll know what he needs to work on.”

“Alright.”

“I’ll consider the request Kurenai. I’ll let you pick him for your team at graduation if I think it will work.”

“Thank you sir.”

“You’re dismissed.”

—

Lunch was an interesting affair for Naruto. He’d pulled out the last half of his pizza from the morning and ended up sharing it with a kid named Choji, who seemed to fall in love immediately. His friend, Shikamaru, didn’t say much of anything and opted to watch the clouds pass by. Hinata was still a stuttering mess, but he was okay with that. He could hear several people nearby asking why he got to just show up and take the test without going to school, to which Shikamaru sighed ‘Troublesome’.

When lunch ended they were told to meet at practical area. Naruto just followed the others.

He was a bit surprised to see an entire obstacle course nearby some posts and a circle drawn in the ground. They went through the obstacle course first. No one could believe Naruto had gotten best time with a useless arm. It upset a few people, with the second place being a whole minute and a half behind him.

Next up was the accuracy test. They were told and shown how to do it, which Naruto sighed. He was never any good at these things. Which was why he had a gun. It was far easier than throwing things, and far more lethal.

“Well, let’s get this over with.” Naruto said as he looked at the shuriken and kunai. He did try his best, but ended up with a total of four out of ten. “Yeah, that went about as well as I expected.” Naruto shrugged, not bothered by the result.

“Y-you’ll d-d-do b-better next time.” Hinata tried to comfort him.

“Eh, it’s fine. I’ve never been good at throwing weapons. It’s mostly a crap shoot with me. Four out of ten was basically luck.”

“Oh…”

“Don’t look so down. You did really good. Besides, I don’t use throwing weapons anyway.”

“You don’t?”

“Nope. That’s what my sword is for.”

“Throwing?” She giggled.

“Ah, I see you. I can, but no, I just get in and stay in until I win.”

Hinata couldn’t help but giggle at his antics. It was nice to be with him again, and closer than before. Of course, the few boys who had a crush on her didn’t like this.

“Alright class, we’ll finish off with some sparring and you can go.” Iruka said.

The students moved over to the sparring ring and Naruto watched a few matches go by. He was interested to see Hinata not using the typical Hyuga style as she fought, though she did extremely well.

“Next up is Kiba Inuzuka and Naruto Uzumaki.” Iruka called.

“Oh, this isn’t even fair! I’m gonna win, no problem!” Kiba shouted as he got in the ring.

“Please, I’ll beat you with one arm tied behind my back. Oh wait.” Naruto said.

“You think you’re funny?”

“I know so. You seem kind of agitated. How bout we go for a walk, puppy?” Naruto smirked, making Kiba growl.

“Start!” Iruka called.

Kiba, like many expected, launched himself at Naruto, completely unable to keep himself under control. This was the mistake that caused him the match.

Naruto, his good hand in his pocket, side stepped the attack. However, before Kiba could land, Naruto threw a knee into his stomach, halting the boys momentum and folding him over like lawn chair. Then, faster than most could see, Naruto spun and heel dropped Kiba into the ground, ending the fight.

“W-winner: Naruto Uzumaki!” Iruka declared.

Naruto normally would’ve helped the boy up, he wasn’t a braggadocios winner at all, but Kiba was out cold and Ino had to take him to the nurses office.

A few matches later saw Naruto walking home with Hinata. They passed an alleyway when Naruto felt his arm shake. He looked down at it, before looking at the alley.

“Hinata, can you wait out here for a minute? I need to take care of something.”

“Uh, okay, Naruto.” Hinata said.

“Thanks!” He said before taking off down the alley. It was far darker than it should’ve been for that time of day. He figured he must have been dealing with a shadow. “Pain in the ass.” He said as he pulled his weapon from his arm and slammed a fist on the wall, hoping to lure the beast out. Lucky for him it must have been on the prowl for food because the pitch black cat like creature materialized on the ground, red eyes shining brightly.

The beast eyed him hungrily before jumping in the air, turning into a blade, and come crashing down at him. He jumped out of the way and slammed down with an overhead, catching the demon cat.

Normally a fight against a Shadow would take a bit longer than five minutes. Today, Naruto didn’t have time for that. He had to actually try. The Shadow backed off and tried to shoot a spike at him. Naruto jumped and landed on the Shadow, stunning it and allowing him to run to its base and slice it to shreds quickly. The beast melted away leaving just a floating black orb that he made quick work of, leaving the alley before it exploded.

“Alright, let’s get home.” Naruto smiled to Hinata.

“W-what w-were you d-d-doing?”

“Nothing of importance.” He smiled, ignoring the explosion that went off.

“W-what was t-t-that?!” She looked back at the alley, shocked.

“Nothing of importance.” Naruto said, not stopping his stride.

The two arrived back at the house and Naruto kicked back on the couch, bouncing the remote into the air with a foot on the coffee table and catching it. Hinata, who had never conceived of such an action and especially not being played off as casually as Naruto had, was shocked into silence. She had been planning in her head how to ask him to train with her, but she had forgotten everything in the moment as she couldn’t get over how cool that action made him seem.

“You okay?” Naruto asked, not looking from the T.V.

“Uh, um… I’m fine.” She said softly. “Um… Do you want anything to drink?”

“If you’re heading to the kitchen, I’d like some water, sure.”

Hinata nodded, rushing off to get him a glass of water. When she came back Naruto thanked her, but looked up when she didn’t sit down. He noticed she didn’t have anything for herself.

“You aren’t going to sit? And you didn’t get anything for yourself?”

“Oh! Uh… I’m not… I’m not thirsty. I was going to go out and train.”

“Training… Can I come with you?”

“Yes!” She said a bit too enthusiastically. “I-I-I m-mean, S-s-sure.”

“Cool.” Naruto smiled, downing his drink and following after her. They left the house again and came to a training ground not far from the house.

“T-this is t-t-the closest training g-g-ground, s-so this is where w-w-we usually c-come.” Hinata said as they stepped onto the grass.

Naruto looked around the area. It was relatively large, but he figured with a house away from the city center they could do that. There was a decent sized forest off to the left and a lake off to the right.

“So how do you usually train?”

“A-Anko usually h-helps with my t-t-taijutsu since I u-u-u-use her s-style.”

“Is that it?”

“M-mostly. I-I already h-h-have good chakra c-c-control.”

“Can you walk on trees or water?”

“N-no.”

“Well that’s what we’re working on today.”

“T-tree w-walking?”

“Yup.”

“You can d-d-do it?”

“Have been for years. With only one hand I couldn’t do hand seals, so I had to focus mostly on just straight chakra control and nature manipulation.”

“N-N-Nature manipulation?! T-that’s a J-J-Jonin l-level exercise.”

“You make do with what you have. Now, let’s get to work.”

Kurenai arrived home to find it oddly quiet. Hinata usually would be coming home from training right now, but Anko was gone meaning she must have gone with Naruto. She figured she might as well start dinner when she heard the door open behind her. She turned to see Naruto holding Hinata over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

“What the hell happened to her?!” Kurenai shouted.

“She’s just a bit exhausted. I was teaching her surface walking.”

“You were- WHAT? You know surface walking?”

“Yup. And water. And a bunch of other advanced chakra control exercises. Had to focus on other stuff when I couldn’t learn jutsu.”

“I-I see. I’ll take her up to her room. What do you want for dinner?”

“I’ll eat whatever you make. I’m not picky.”

“Alright then.” Kurenai said, taking Hinata up to her room. She came back down to find Naruto on the couch, watching T.V.

“So, how did she do?”

“Very well. She picked it up in about an hour. Then I had her just keep going. We took breaks of course. She can stick to a tree for about fifteen minutes total right now.”

“That’s… fairly good for starting.”

“Yup.”

“When did you learn it?”

“When I was nine. Too much chakra to really start from the bottom, so I had to do the more exhaustive things first and work my way back. Hanging from a tree with a bunch of leaves sticking to me was quite the work out at first. Now I can do it easy, no sweat.”

“What else can you do?” She asked timidly, ignoring his comment about his arm.

“Well, lots of things. Nothing I really feel like telling anyone about, but I’m confident in my abilities.”

“Alright then.” Kurenai sighed.

——

The next day at school was relatively boring for Naruto. He knew all the history and theory crap and really didn’t feel like hearing it again, as much as he had to in order to learn anything in both his home life and travels.

“A sharp body cannot be put to proper use without a sharper mind,” nearly every single one of his teachers had told him.

The problem was he’d memorized all of this several times over. And he couldn’t sleep because Iruka would just yell at him. Which left him with nothing to do during that day. He did notice the assistant teacher eyeing him evilly all day, but he paid no mind to it.

Lucky for him since graduation was the next day they spent more time on the practical skills. He always found it funny when people were shocked by his level of movement with just one arm. Some people just assumed he must have been left handed.

When the day was finally over he and Hinata were about to leave when they were approached by a few of the other students.

“Naruto!” The two looked back to see some people walking up to them.

Ino was the one who called out, followed by Kiba, Choji, and Shikamaru.

“I’m gonna pay you back.” Kiba said before walking off.

“That was weird.” Naruto said.

“Ignore him. He’s just mad he lost.” Ino said.

“Right. So, what can I do for you?”

“Can I have more pizza?!” Choji asked. He’d been craving the stuff since Naruto shared it with him, and nothing else he tried came even close to the taste.

“Your family runs restaurants, right?” Naruto asked.

“Yeah.” Choji nodded, unsure of what that had to do with his request.

“I’ll give you some to take home to your family. If they like it enough, tell them I’m up for sharing the recipe. At a cost.”

“What’s the cost?”

“I’ll discuss it with your parents. Let me get you some pizza, my man.” Naruto pulled his scroll from his arm and opened it, pulling two classic cheese pizzas, a pepperoni, a ham, a sausage, and a Hawaiian from the scroll. “Enjoy. And don’t forget to set up that meeting.” Naruto handed the boxes to a drooling Choji.

“Awesome!” Choji shouted, taking off for his house.

“Before I go, I want to know why you left.” Shikamaru said.

“I got beat up pretty bad and left. It’s what happened to my arm.”

Shikamaru grumbled and Ino gasped.

“Who beats an eight year old like that?” Ino asked.

“Crazy people.” Naruto shrugged. “But I’m over it. My life was better for it.”

“You lost an arm!”

“It was worth it, honestly.”

“Are you left handed?”

“No. I’m right handed. It took me a few months to be able to use my left properly.”

“That’s horrible!”

“It’s life.”

“Troublesome… I’m going after Choji. See you guys tomorrow.” Shikamaru said.

“Later.” He turned to Ino, “So, anything else you need?”

“Huh? Oh.” She got a suspicious grin on her face. “I wanted to know why you two are so close. Dating already?” She asked.

Hinata went completely red, steam coming from her ears. She fainted and Naruto had to catch her.

“No, we’re not dating. We live together.”

“Oh! Married already?”

“No. When I came back I didn’t have a place to stay, so the person who she lives with offered to let me stay since she had the space.”

“You’re no fun.”

“That’s not what the ladies say.”

Ino gasped and went bright red. “You…”

“I’m joking, relax.” Naruto laughed. “Anyway, she should be waking up soon. Gotta go train.”

“You train?”

“Of course. Can’t get dull.”

“Uh… Can I come with you?” Ino asked. She wasn’t really sure why, she had to stay thin for Sasuke, but something about seeing this new guy training appealed to her. And, of course, she knew Naruto wasn’t “New”, but he was an entirely different person than before which meant he might as well be new.

It was at that time that Hinata woke up.

“Hinata, is it cool if Ino comes to train with us?”

“Ah… Uh…” She looked at Naruto, then Ino’s pleading face, then back to Naruto. “O-O-Okay.”

“Sure, then. Let’s get going.” Naruto said.

Coming from the Academy the walk to training ground 17 was a lot longer. When they made it they found a few other people already there.

“Alright, Hinata, for a warm up I want you to do a set of push ups, sit ups, and five laps up that tree to the second branch. To the branch and back to the ground is one lap.”

“Okay!” She said, with a fiery determination Ino had never seen in the girl.

“Now, what can you do?” Naruto turned to Ino.

“Uh… Not that.”

“Well, you’re really thin. I’d recommend building up some muscle.”

“No! I need to be thin for Sasuke!”

“… Do you diet?”

“Yes. Constantly.”

“Uh-huh… Listen, if that’s the case, I’d recommend you do something else with your life.”

“W-what?! I’m going to be the next head of the Yamanaka clan!”

“Not acting like that you’re not. If you think you have time for diets and chasing boys you don’t know what it’s like to be a ninja.”

“And you do? We’re the same age!”

“I’ve been through more than you will in most of your career. If you were training properly you wouldn’t need to diet. You’d burn the calories like nothing. Being a ninja isn’t all fun and games. The moment you stop doing D ranks and get to leave these walls it’s life or death. The academy here obviously hasn’t been preparing all of you for that if I was the one to teach Hinata surface walking. Every other village I’ve been to has that as a graduation requirement. Unless you’re willing to put in any kind of actual effort, I have no desire to train with you.”

“Fine then!” Ino scoffed and started walking away.

Naruto just shook his head and walked over to the lake. He dropped his jacket on a rock before stepping onto the lake and starting his handstand push ups.

Ino, nearly at the gate, still fuming and muttering “Who does he think he is! He only has one arm! How dare he lecture me on being a proper ninja!” turned to look at the two she arrived with. She stopped, watching an heavily panting Hinata, sans her thick jacket, jogging up and down a tree. She looked over to the lake and saw Naruto doing handstand push ups with one hand on the top of a lake.

It crossed her mind that this was just their warm up. She wanted to see what he had planned for their actual training, so she turned back to sit a bit out and watch.

The next three hours blew her mind.

She’d known Naruto was strong, but she wasn’t anticipating how strong. During the hour of sparring he’d pushed Hinata through she learned that he was very fast and could easily wipe anyone in their class despite his one working arm. She did wonder what would happen if someone tried to hit him in his mangled arm, but knew Hinata would be too nice for that.

After they sparred they took a short break and started working on physical stuff. Naruto went for the whole hour, but told Hinata to take a break between her sets and to only do what she could.

Finally, when they got to chakra control it was mostly Naruto helping Hinata with exercises he knew that he thought she could benefit from.

“So, did you learn anything?” Naruto asked her.

“Oh! Uh… You’re really strong.”

“I asked what you learned, not what you knew. Do you think you can handle training like that? Keep in mind that’s considered light by most high level standards.”

“I… I want to be a great ninja!” Ino declared.

“Good. Then start acting like it. Ask your parents what the job entails. Ask older women what the job is like. Take their advice. Ask someone for a training schedule and general meal plan. Going on the way you have been will only stunt your growth as a ninja.”

“Okay.” Ino said.

“Great. We’re heading home, so you should too.”

“Alright. See you guys tomorrow.” Ino took off.

“Can you make it back?” Naruto asked Hinata.

“Y-y-yes.”

“Let’s get home then.”

The walk was quiet, as they usually were, but Naruto noticed Hinata walking closer than usual. He paid it no real mind and they got home to hear shouting.

“What do you mean I can’t drink?!” Anko yelled.

“I mean you can’t drink! You need to be up for your mission tomorrow!”

“I’ve been fine before!”

“You’ve never had to leave at six in the morning! Do you really want to be hung over that early? If anything you’ll just get left behind!”

“I’ll be fine! Stop acting like my mother!”

“Than stop acting like a child!”

“Does this happen often?” Naruto asked.

“Sometimes.” Hinata sighed. “I’ll go start on dinner.”

“Alright then.” Naruto went off to his room, giving the shouting women a wide berth.

——

The day had arrived. It was time for all the academy students, and Naruto, to take their graduation test.

Naruto had the immediate suspicion someone was trying to sabotage him. He had this suspicion because the test he was given was not only slightly bigger than the other students, but none of the questions were what they had been reviewing in the two days he’d been there. The questions were too high level. The types of things only people with experience in the field or a lot of schooling would know.

Lucky for him he had extensive experience with both.

He breezed through the test and finished before everyone else, the assistant teacher giving him a look that was between confused and angry.

Naruto simply waited patiently outside as he waited for the rest of the class to finish.

The practical tests were easy. He, of course, breezed through the obstacle course, and somehow managed to get a six on the accuracy test. He didn’t even work up a sweat in the taijutsu test.

Finally, they were told to come into a room and do their jutsu exam. Naruto watched as kids walked in and out of the door, some downtrodden, others smiling brightly with their headbands.

Naruto was not in anyway worried when it was his turn.

“Alright, Naruto, you know what the academy three are, correct?” Iruka asked.

“I think so.”

“Okay. All you have to do is perform a transformation, substitution, and a clone.”

“I can do that.”

“Good let’s get started. Do a transformation.”

Naruto nodded and in a puff of smoke transformed into a replica of the Third Hokage.

“Good. Next, substitution.” Iruka launched a ball at Naruto, who didn’t seem to move. The ball hit him, then went right through him as water splashed to the ground.

Naruto walked through the door and just said, “Someone left a bucket of water outside” to the questioning looks.

“Water clones?” Iruka asked.

“Yeah. Picked it up when I was in Water Country.”

“I see. For extra credit, is there any other technique you know that you’d like to show us?”

“Hm…” Naruto thought over a list of jutsu he knew. He didn’t really feel like showing anything off. “Nah.”

“A-alright then,” Iruka was startled at the idea that he knew a laundry list of jutsu but didn’t want to show any. “You pass. Take a headband.”

“Thanks!” Naruto smiled, grabbing a headband and walking out.

“You p-p-p-passed!” Hinata cheered.”

“With flying colors.” Naruto smiled.

“D-d-do you want me to help you tie it anywhere?” She blushed. She was forcing herself to be closer to Naruto without fainting. This would be a great exercise for that.

“Uh, sure. Can you tie it around my neck for me?”

“O-o-okay.” She took the headband and slowly began tying it around his neck, careful not to touch him, save she overload herself. “I’m done.”

“Thanks. You ready?”

“Yes.”

Since they had trained so hard the two days prior, and they graduated today, they would skip training and celebrate passing.

“Congratulations!” Kurenai said as they left the academy.

“Thanks.” Naruto said.

“Thank you.” Hinata hugged the older woman.

“Let’s go celebrate! I already have a table booked.” Kurenai said.

“Naruto!” They turned to see Choji and his parents walking over to him.

“Hey, Choji. Mr. And Mrs. Akimichi.”

“Naruto. Good to finally meet you. The pizza was amazing.” Choji’s mother said.

“Indeed it was. Choji said you’d be willing to share the recipe at a cost. What were you thinking?” Chouza Akimichi asked.

“I can give you my pizza recipe book, but in return, I’d like half off at all of your restaurants that serve it.” Naruto said.

“That’s it?” The man asked.

“I eat a lot of pizza. I would be conning you to ask for free pizza forever.”

“A man of morals. I like it. How about in addition to the discount, you get a percentage of all pizzas sold.”

“Seven percent of all pizzas sold at the end of the month.” Naruto said. He wasn’t really out for money, just a steady supply of pizza. He ate at least twenty of the things a month.

“You’re really underselling yourself.” Chouza said.

“I eat a lot of pizza. My stash will eventually run out, and I’ll need a steady supply. I’m not in this for the cash so much as the food.”

“I have a feeling this will be a huge hit with everyone. I feel like you’re not getting enough out of the deal.”

“If you can get me food cheaper, we’re all good.”

“Okay, then I’ll tack on then I’ll tack on half off at all Akimichi restaurants.”

“Deal.” Naruto said.

“Deal.” Chouza shook the boys hand. “I’ll have everything in writing and the discount cards soon.”

“Alright.” Naruto handed over a copy of his pizza recipe book. Chouza was in awe at the size. “There are at least a hundred different ways to make pizza in that book. Do with it what you will.”

“Thank you.” Chouza said, he and his family taking off.

“What was that?” Kurenai asked.

“Business negotiation. I like pizza and it isn’t made here. I have the ways of production, but not the means. By giving the ways to someone with the means, I get all of it I want and then some at a lower cost to me.” Naruto said.

“You are a weird kid.”

“I’ve been told.” Naruto smirked.

After dinner and the celebration was over, Anko still gone on her mission, the girls settled in for bed. Naruto would have if he hadn’t noticed a demonic presence out in the city.

Sighing to himself, Naruto decided against re-wrapping his arm and just wearing a glove and his sleeve over it. He put his gun on his hip, his sword on his back, and took off to work.

He arrived to see a woman and her lover bleeding on the ground with scarecrows doing their weird cackling thing nearby. He quickly checked them over and, once he was sure they’d live, confronted the scarecrows. Noticing a fresh body to slice up, the demons started surrounding him.

“Hm. Five arms and four legs. I might be scared if you Scarecrows were actually intimidating. I’m kind of tired right now, so I’ll finish this quick.” He pulled out his gun and the kanji on the side changed to 9 and the standard .45 pistol was suddenly a rocket launcher with a bayonet on the end. “Try not to get too hysterical.” He smirked at his lame pun as he slammed the bayonet into the ground and and pulled a trigger on the side, launched several small rockets out the side of the launcher.

The rockets flew around, looking for their targets, before hitting the patchwork demons and sending them right back where they came from.

Knowing it wouldn’t be a good look to deliver people to the hospital, Naruto turned into someone else, called out for help, then left the scene.

——

Naruto and Hinata walked into a mostly empty classroom. Hinata was perfectly awake, being near Naruto always managed to get the blood flowing. Sometimes too much. Naruto, on the other hand, was dead on his feet. How he could walk to the academy and not be awake was a mystery to Hinata, but she didn’t mind it.

Naruto sat in a seat near the back of the room and kicked his feet up. Hinata sat next to him since seating didn’t matter anymore.

Hinata watched as students slowly filed into the room, but Naruto was half asleep. His eyes were closed, but he could still hear everything happening. Which was why he nearly launched out of his seat when Sakura and Ino shot in yelling at each other.

The odd thing he noticed about Ino was that while she seemed to be trying a bit harder, she was still in direct competition with Sakura for a guys affections. He shrugged it off. She could do what she wanted. As long as she was acting like a proper ninja he would still train with her every now and then.

However, that didn’t stop him from being annoyed at their screaming.

“I was first, Ino-pig!”

“In your dreams, forehead!”

“Shut the fuck up!” Naruto shouted. “God damn, me and Shikamaru are trying to sleep.” Naruto said as he sat back down, all eyes on him. He ignored it in favor of closing his eyes again.

Ino took his advice and sat down. However, the pink haired girl was annoyed and marched up to the blond to tell him as much.

“Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?” Sakura asked.

Naruto, for his part, just ignored the girl. He had no real desire to speak to her and was willing to let it go. He couldn’t say he really cared.

“Hey! I’m talking to you.”

“Will you please just shut up. No one cares.” Tenten said.

“Tough talk coming from a girl who failed last year!”

“Tough talk coming from a girl who gets knocked over by a stiff wind.” She scoffed.

“At least I don’t look manly.”

Tenten was very much about to retaliate, but Naruto stepped in.

“Hey, don’t stoop to her level. You’re obviously more competent than she is, so have some confidence. Doesn’t matter if you failed last years test, you can’t win them all. Also, take pride in the fact you’re a lot cuter than she is.” Naruto winked.

Tenten blushed while she, and a few others, were quite surprised by his insight. Sakura was red with anger not just because she was offended he called Tenten above her, but because he said she was prettier. Luckily everyone else was saved from more yelling by Iruka coming in.

“Alright, everybody calm down! It’s your last day here, and I’m sure you’re all itching to get your team assignments. Let’s get started.”

Naruto zoned out, not really listening to the teams for the most part. He heard them, but he didn’t really listen to them. He heard Sakura whining, but didn’t pay it much attention. Until he heard Hinata’s name. He was kind of hoping they’d be teamed together. She was the only person he’d spent enough time with to call a friend.

“Team 8 will be Hinata Yuhi, Tenten, and Naruto Uzumaki. Your sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi.”

Hinata instantly fainted.

“Will she be okay?” Tenten asked.

“She’ll be fine. Give her a minute.” Naruto said, helping her sit up.

“Team 9 is still in circulation from last year, so team 10 will be Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi. Your sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi.”

Ino immediately started complaining about her team set up, Shikamaru was half asleep, and Choji was just eating.

“You’ve got an hour for lunch. Meet back here for your Jonin to pick you up after that. Congratulations again for passing.”

“So, you want to eat lunch together since we’re on the same team?” Naruto asked Tenten.

“Sure.” She said.

Hinata was wake by now and was getting ready to leave but Naruto stopped her.

“We’re eating here. I’m in a pizza mood.” Naruto said, pulling a stuff crust meat lovers from his scroll.

“What is this?” Tenten almost looked grossed out by the amount of meat on the circle.

“It’s pizza. Try a slice.” Naruto said.

“Uh…” Hinata looked around for plates or forks or even napkins.

“No plates or anything. Pizza is to be eaten like this.” Naruto picked up a slice to demonstrate, taking a large bite out of it. “I’ve also got soda.” He pulled some bottles from his scroll to share.

“This is amazing!” Tenten said, biting into a slice.

Hinata just moaned in agreement, her mouth full of food.

“Told you.” Naruto smirked.

“There’s more cheese!” Tenten gushed when she finished her first slice.

He laughed, popping open a bottle of soda and drinking some.

By the time they were done, they’d gone through two boxes of pizza and Tenten was on the verge of a food coma.

Hinata, much in the same boat, burped loudly.

“Excuse me.” She said shyly.

“Nice!” Naruto laughed.

“So, Tenten, if you don’t mind my asking, what did pinkie mean about you failing the last test?”

Tenten looked down, suddenly upset.

“I was supposed to graduate last year. And I would’ve if not for one Sasuke Uchiha.”

“I remember him. We were kind of friends for a little bit.” Naruto said blandly. The boy had changed a lot just before he left, becoming far more closed off than before.

“Yeah, well, I don’t know how you remember him, but the guy is real bag of dicks. He’s got a real big head and acts like he’s better than everyone else just cause of his name.” She huffed.

“He was also praised a lot by the other students and teachers.” Hinata added.

“Yeah, he was. Which is probably why he’s so arrogant. He got pushed up a grade and set his eyes on me because, unlike those other girls, I want nothing to do with him. Where other girls would fawn over him, I would actively ignore him. But, of course, I was also one of the few competent women in my class. I had the misfortune of catching his eye and he made advances on me constantly, to the point that it even destroyed one of my few friendships with a girl. The boy is just so overly obsessive. If he wants something he doesn’t stop until either he gets it, or no one else can have it.”

“Damn. How does that play into your graduation test?”

“The luck of the draw put me up against him in a sparring match the day before graduation. I’m no slouch in hand to hand, at least not at this level, but it’s not my specialty. He was faster than me and got me in an arm hold. Told me to be his or he’d break my wrist. I said no and he did. I had to spend graduation day in the hospital.”

“What a fucking scumbag.” Naruto said, upset that someone would do that just because someone didn’t want to date them.

“Exactly. I would’ve taken him down with me, but I was in too much pain and the match was called then and there.”

“That sucks. But you’re on a far better team now. Living your best life is the best revenge. And if he tries anything again, you’ve got me and Hinata.”

“Y-yeah!” Hinata said, trying her best to be tough.

Tenten giggled.

“Thanks.”

The other students started to come back and Naruto threw away the empty boxes and bottles while they waited for the Jonin to come in.

They didn’t have to wait long as they arrived shortly after Iruka did, lining up in the front of the room.

“Team 8, let’s go.” Kurenai said, the three of them hopping up to follow her out of the room.

“So, where’re we going, sensei?” Naruto asked, an almost mocking tone on the word sensei.

“If you’re gonna say it like that, you might as well just call me by name.” Kurenai scoffed.

“Noted. So, where’re headed?”

“A tea shop.”

“Alrighty then.” He said, letting the others walk in front of him.

Once at the tea shop, they were promptly seated near the back of the room, like Ninja often are. Naruto felt it was lucky most people didn’t remember what he really looked like by now, or he’d be having more problems.

“So, I’d like to go around and do some short introductions. You can say your name if you want, but I’m sure we all know that by now. Tell us something about yourself as well as likes, dislikes, hobbies, but most definitely your skills. You’re going to be working as a team for at least the next six months, so I recommend you learn what your partners can do and learn to work with it. I’ll go first.

“I’m Kurenai Yuhi. I made a mistake a few years ago that I’ve been regretting since the moment it happened. I’ve been doing my best to make amends ever since. I enjoy tea and cooking. I dislike… Those orange books Kakashi loves to read, as well as a few other things. My hobbies include tea ceremonies and coming up with new genjutsu, which is where my main skills lie. I am the Leafs sole Genjutsu master. Your turn Hinata.”

“O-okay. I-I-I’m Hinata Y-Yuhi. I was… kicked out of the H-H-Hyuga clan and K-K-Kurenai-sensei has b-been like a s-s-sister ever since. I l-like flowers. I don’t like… m-mean people. I like to p-p-press flowers in m-my free time. M-My skills come from my mix of g-g-gentle fist and snake taijutsu, as well as my B-B-Byakugan.”

“Tenten. I’m an orphan but I managed to earn enough doing part time jobs as a kid to get a small apartment. I like weapons and things that go boom. I dislike possessive assholes that can’t take no for an answer. My hobbies are all weapon related. I’m a weapons specialist, meaning I tend to fight midrange with various blades, thrown or otherwise.”

“Naruto Uzumaki. I ended up leaving as a kid and was subsequently adopted by a woman who taught me her trade. She died a few years ago and I’ve just been traveling, doing what she taught me and learning what I could from whoever would teach me. I like food and sleep, and also learning new things. I don’t like being bored. Hobbies… I like doing blank puzzles. Also, you can paint surprisingly well with only one hand. That was interesting to learn. As for skills, I’ve got a lot. Because I couldn’t do hand seals for a long time I got really, really good at raw chakra control and wind manipulation, and less good with the others. My chakra control is amazing for near Kage level reserves, and I use a taijutsu style that mostly focuses on kicks. Mainly though, I prefer to use my sword and gun, Nova and Kurama.”

“Wait, you said you used to not be able to do hand seals. You can do them now?” Kurenai asked.

“Yeah. I was traveling up in Lightning Country and I ran into Zabuza Momochi. Spent a few weeks with him and his apprentice and he taught me some swordplay and his apprentice taught me one handed seals. Of course before that I was working on doing ninjutsu without seals, but I could never get it right.”

“You met Zabuza Momochi, The Demon of the Hidden Mist, and convinced him to teach you sword play?” Kurenai nearly dropped her tea.

“I mean, yeah. I already knew swordplay from Mom, she taught me after I turned nine and I could properly use my left arm without trouble, but why would I not take a chance to learn from a Swordsman of the Mist? Once in a life time chance, really. Same with Tsunade.”

Tenten spit her tea out, thoroughly soaking a just as bewildered Kurenai.

“You met Tsunade?!” She asked, wiping tea from her mouth.

“Yeah. I was in Wind Country, happened through a town with a poker tournament. She happened to be in it and I laid the smack down on the whole tournament. She called BS and challenged me to some more games. I made her teach me something since I knew she wasn’t going to give me money.”

“What did she teach you?”

“Some chakra control techniques mostly. Though I did get to learn the chakra scalpel, which is a pretty sick technique.”

“How are you so lucky?”

“I wouldn’t say lucky. I’ve had to go through just as much tragedy to get to where I am,” He gripped his locket, “But I do get up to some interesting things sometimes.”

“Well,” Kurenai said, wiping the tea off of herself, “Let’s just hope you pass the last test so you can be a team.”

“We have another test?” Tenten asked.

“There’s always a catch.” Naruto sighed.

“Yes, you have another test. So be at training ground 8 at eight in the morning.”

“Is the number eight going to be a running joke here?”

“Possibly.”

“Yay…” Naruto droned.

“Oh, hush you. Anyway, the three of you have one more test to pass and then you can be official genin. If not, back to the academy with you.”

“O-o-o-oh no!” Hinata said.

“Yeah, I’m definitely not doing a full year at that place. Two days was bad enough.” Naruto said.

“Yeah, try a couple years.” Tenten said.

“No thanks.” Naruto said.

“I have a feeling you three will get along fine. I’ll be going home, you two be back by dinner.” Kurenai said, getting up to pay for the groups tea and leave.

“You two live with her?” Tenten asked, following their teachers lead and getting up.

“Yup.” Naruto stretched. “She let me stay with her because she had the space and I didn’t have a place to stay. The Hokage offered to let me stay at the Gold Leaf until I got a place though.”

“Lucky.” Tenten said.

“Speaking of, I need to go talk to the old man. Do you guys want to get some training done after?”

“O-Okay.” Hinata nodded.

“You can just go talk to the Hokage?”

“Yup. It should only take a few minutes, but you guys can go on to the training ground now if you want.”

“Sounds good.” Tenten said.

“Alright. Hinata, same warm up.”

“Okay!” She nodded as the two groups went their separate ways.

——

The Hokage was in his office peacefully reading a little orange book written by one of his students. He often took a break from the exorbitant amounts of paperwork he had to go through in a day for a little break with said book. Most people wouldn’t dare barge into his office, so he felt safe reading it. The problem with that assumption was that he forgot a certain blonde was back in town.

The doors flew open and his book in the air with them.

“Hey old man.” Naruto said as the old Hokage fumbled to catch the orange book and hide it.

“N-Naruto!” He cleared his throat, “What can I do for you?”

“I’m here about our deal.”

“Deal?”

“I’m a ninja now, so you owe me some things.”

“I do?” He looked confused. “I do!” He said at Naruto’s unamused look.

“You do. You owe me a jutsu for going along with being put on a genin team, as well as my inheritance.”

“You do know there’s another test before you’re an official genin, correct?”

“I do. But we’re going to pass.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Call it a feeling. So, what do you have to teach me? I’m looking for something with a lot of utility that I may be able to customize. Maybe a clone technique if you have one that could work. I can only do water and mud clones.”

“You can do water and mud clones?”

“Yup. Picked them up while traveling. I know a few conventional jutsu, but not many.”

“What jutsu do you know?”

“Off the top of my head: hidden mist jutsu, wind blade, great breakthrough, subterranean voyage, great vacuum sphere, great fire annihilation, great waterfall, nervous system rupture, and electromagnetic murder. Honestly, that may be most of my repertoire besides the clone techniques I mentioned.”

“Those are… Naruto, a lot of those are pretty high level techniques.”

“Some of them I learned from scrolls, some of them I was taught directly. I saved the scrolls I got since I wanted to learn them but couldn’t do hand seals one handed.”

“You can now?”

“I can.”

“… Maybe I shouldn’t have put you on a genin team.”

“Oh you think?”

The old man sighed. “Okay, well, if you want a clone technique, I can teach you shadow clones.”

“What’s different about them?”

“You get their knowledge when they dispel.”

“Sweet. Definitely want that. So, inheritance. How much money do I get?”

“Frankly… Not a lot in terms of liquid assets. Your parents weren’t particularly wealthy, but you get enough to buy a few houses and make your own district.”

“Cool, cool. Speaking of districts, I want to establish the Uzumaki clan here.”

“You want to…”

“I want to rebuild my clan. It doesn’t have to be here, but if I’m going to be a ninja here, why not. Also, at some point I’d like to go to Whirlpool to see if I can find anything useful to the rebuilding of the clan.”

“Well, I don’t mind that, but you’ll have to go through some paperwork and go through the whole officiation process.”

“Pain… Okay. Can you set that up for me? Also, go ahead and release my parentage while you’re at it. I’m strong enough to stop pretty much anything that comes at me for the most part.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yup, yup. By the way, what happens if I find another Uzumaki?”

“Another Uzumaki? Well, it’s unlikely, but possible. I say you have my blessing to try and recruit them if you come across one.”

“Awesome. Now, aside from money, are their any jutsu scrolls or tools my parents left behind?”

“There are. While your parents house was destroyed, we salvaged most of their stuff in the clean up, including some of your fathers scrolls and research. You’re still at Kurenai’s address correct?”

“Yup.”

“I’ll have everything delivered in a few days. The meeting will be set up soon as well.”

“Thanks, old man. See you later, I’ve got to get to training.”

“Alright, you kids have fun.” The old man smiled.

“Oh, before I go, you can do shadow clones, right?”

“Yeah?”

“If they know what you do, and you get their knowledge, can’t you use them for work? I mean, I use mud clones for stuff I don’t want to do.”

The blank stare on the old mans face told Naruto all he needed to know.

“Alright then, see you later.” Naruto ducked out of the office.

Hiruzen continued to sit with a dumb look on his face for the next few minutes before smacking himself in the face and making some clones.

—

Naruto arrived at the training field to see Tenten and Hinata already in the middle of a spar. He decided to go do his warm up while they finished. By the time he was done, they were the ones watching him.

“Naruto, what does your shirt say?” Tenten asked.

“Hm? Oh,” He smirked, “It says ‘Rental Daddy 5 ryo’.”

“O-oh!” Tenten immediately went red and Hinata just fainted.

“Yeah, I’ve kind of gotten used to wearing whatever I want cause most people miss it anyway, what with my arm and jacket covering my shirts.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit much?”

“No. I have way worse shirts than this. Besides, this is mostly casual wear. I dress a bit differently when I have to go fight and stuff.”

“I-I see.”

“So, can you walk on trees yet?”

“No. I watched Hinata do it. I was surprised she knew it.”

“I taught her. And now I’m going to teach you.”

“Alright.”

Hours later the two girls were nearly exhausted while Naruto looked like he barely broke a sweat.

“You guys did great today. We’re finished so after we’re done talking we can just head home.”

“What else… Is there… to talk about?” Tenten panted.

“Our plan for tomorrows test.”

“But we… don’t know.. What it will be.” Hinata said, too tired to trip over her words.

“Well, Kurenai was originally supposed to teach a tracking team. However, since she got us, she ended up with probably the most well rounded team. Tenten plays mid to long range mostly, Hinata plays close, and I can work at any range. But more than that, this village prides itself on teamwork more than anything, so the test is going to test ours. We’re probably going to have to work together to pass.”

“Okay… But how do we prepare for a test when we don’t know what it will be?” Tenten asked.

“I… I-I think the whole p-p-point is f-f-for us to s-s-stick together, no m-m-matter what.” Hinata said

“Exactly. We were a team the second our names were announced. So we stick together, no matter what.” Naruto said. “Are you guys with me?” He put a hand in.

“Hell yeah!” Tenten said, putting her hand on Naruto’s.

“T-t-t-to the e-e-ends of the earth!” Hinata said, following suit.

“Let’s rock that test tomorrow!” Naruto said.

“Yeah!” The two girls followed cheered before falling back over.

“Alright, let’s get you two home.” Naruto sighed.

——

“Good morning, you two. I hope you’re ready for this test.” Kurenai said was Naruto and Hinata walked into the kitchen.

“Good morning.” Hinata said brightly.

Naruto grumbled out a half greeting, as he made himself a bowl of cereal and sat down.

“You are really not a morning person.” Kurenai said.

“It just takes a while to wake up.” Naruto said, lazily shoveling a spoonful of sugary flakes into his mouth.

“That’s not a good quality to have as a ninja.”

“Eh, I can still kind of function.” He said.

“I’d hope so.”

“Come on, I’ve been on my own for years. I’m not helpless just because I’m not entirely awake.”

“It’s still something you would be better off fixing.”

“Maybe.” He said, taking another bite of cereal.

Kurenai just sighed.

The three arrived at training ground 8 with five minutes to spare only to find Tenten already there.

“Wow, you’re early.” Naruto said. He was dressed slightly differently. Overall his outfit looked the same, but it seemed to be made of sterner stuff. A tougher material to prevent damage. He had Nova secured horizontally across his lower back for ease of access and Kurama hanging from the holster on his hip, easily accessible and positioned for quick draws.

Kurenai and Hinata had wondered about the weapons, but he just told them they were his usual weapons and he hadn’t been wearing them because he was on a break while adjusting to the Leaf.

“I’m always early.” She said.

“Good. That means we can not only start early, but finish early.” Kurenai started. “Your test is to capture me. You have three hours to do so. The first person to capture me gets a prize.”

“A prize?” Tenten asked.

“Yup. Anything you want, within reason.”

“What happens if we don’t get you in the time limit or we aren’t the first to get you?” Naruto asked.

“If you don’t get me within the time limit, you’ll be sent back to the academy. The two who don’t manage to catch me get extra training.”

“Oh…” Hinata said.

“Are you ready?” Kurenai asked.

“Wait, before we start, I want to say something.” Naruto said.

“Uh… Okay, what do you need to say, Naruto.”

“Since we’re going to be a team, I just thought I should tell you guys something. Kind of… An important secret.”

“Naruto, you don’t mean…” Kurenai trailed off.

“What is it?” Tenten asked.

“Thirteen years ago, the Nine Tailed Fox attacked.” Naruto started.

“Yeah. We’re taught the Fourth defeated it at the cost of his life.” Tenten said.

“That’s not entirely true.”

“W-w-what do you m-m-mean?” Hinata asked.

“I mean that the fox was too strong for any village, let alone one man to defeat. No, the Fourth couldn’t beat it, so he did the next best thing. He sealed the fox away inside a child. Me.”

The two girls gasped.

“You mean, you’re…” Tenten started.

“That’s why your arm…” Hinata realized.

“I understand if you don’t want to be my teammate anymore after hearing what I hold inside me.” Naruto said.

“No!” Hinata shouted. “You’re still you, no matter if you have a giant demon sealed inside you or not!” Hinata said.

“Yeah!” Tenten continued. “No being of mass destruction would be as compassionate as you’ve been. I trust you, Naruto.”

“Like we said yesterday, we’re with you to the end!” Hinata finished.

Naruto smiled.

“Congrats!” He said, hugging the two of them, Hinata just barely able to keep herself from fainting.

“Congrats for what?” Tenten asked.

“You passed my test. A lot of people treated me as if I were the fox itself as a kid. It’s why the Third had it kept secret from our generation. Even me. I wanted to see make sure I could trust you guys, and what better way to do that then telling you my darkest secret.”

“Naruto, you little…” Kurenai smiled. “Alright, I guess I have to change the test. You’ve already shown little can divide you, so you just have to capture me. I do need to see your skills before I sign off on you becoming ninja. Start now!” Kurenai threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared.

“So, where do we start?” Tenten asked.

“Hinata, do you think you can find her?” Naruto asked.

“Y-Y-Yeah…”

“Great. I have a plan.” Naruto said, gathering them in a huddle to explain his plan.

Kurenai hadn’t gone very far away from the three of them. She watched them carefully as they came up with their plan before breaking apart. She wasn’t sure what they were up to, but Naruto just seemed to be standing in the middle of the field looking around. She was vaguely aware of where the other two were, but her attention for some reason was focused solely on Naruto, who was whistling a song.

Finally, when his song seemed to be finished, he ran into the forest. But not towards her. Then she felt something behind her.

Had she been even a split second late in moving, she figured the strike Naruto threw would have broken a bone.

“Hey there, teach.” He said with a smile.

“How did you get over here?” Kurenai asked.

“Substitution.” He said, throwing another punch at her that easily shattered the tree it hit.

“You’re hitting pretty hard there.”

“You are a Jonin.” He said simply before dashing at her and, to her surprise, grabbing and throwing her deeper into the woods.

This wouldn’t have been much of a problem if Hinata hadn’t been lying in wait. Kurenai twisted to dodge the blow as soon as she noticed Hinata nearby.

“Good try.” She smiled. “But don’t think it will be that easy.” Kurenai tried to dash forward only to stop cold as a loud explosion went off and dirt scattered in the air in front of her. The two looked to the source of the sound and found Naruto holding his gun.

“I don’t think so.” Naruto said.

Hinata wasted no time in dashing at Kurenai and throwing quick and vicious blows, ones that were dodged, but would hurt if they hit. This was made all the harder by Naruto firing pot shots at her every time she tried to attack Hinata. She’d seen what that thing could do to the area around her, and getting hit would be bad. During all this, however, she failed to notice she was steadily being pushed deeper into the forest. A fact that had she noticed would likely have ruined the teams plan.

Hinata was getting winded as the fight went on and both Naruto and Kurenai noticed. Kurenai was about to push for a counter attack, but once again Naruto stepped in. Kurenai’s danger sense went haywire and she suddenly dodged to the side as Naruto landed where she was not even a second earlier with a vicious heel drop that left a small crater in the ground.

Kurenai was stunned by the damage, just long enough for the plan to come to fruition. As the red eyed woman looked dumbfounded at the crater, Hinata ran up and delivered a double palm strike that nearly winded her, as well as pushed her back. Kurenai heaved at the hit and almost fell over. And she realized something was wrong with that. She should have been on the ground right now, so why wasn’t she? The tell tale sound of wire alerted her to why, but before she could react she was wrapped up tightly in ninja wire.

“That worked better than expected.” Tenten said, jumping down from the trees.

“Of course it worked. She wasn’t really trying all that hard.” Naruto said.

“Even if she were, you seemed like you could have won.”

“Probably. I think most Jonin would at least get a good fight out of me.”

“Hey. Let me go.” Kurenai said.

“Kay.” Tenten said, cutting the wires while Hinata helped the woman to her feet.

“You guys did well. I’m proud.” The red eyed woman smiled.

“T-t-thank you.” Hinata said.

“So, now that we’re an official team, we start missions tomorrow. We finished a lot earlier than anticipated, so why don’t we go grab a snack?” Kurenai suggested.

“Wait, now that we’re an official team, I have more stuff to tell you guys.” Naruto said.

“What else could you possibly have to tell us?” Tenten asked.

“Well… This for example.” Naruto lifted his arm from his sling and stretched it out.

“N-Naruto!” Hinata said.

“Your arm is okay!? B-b-but that’s impossible.” Kurenai said.

“Why act like it was broken if it works?” Tenten asked.

“That’s a long story. It actually stems from a few other things I need to tell you. The Hokage is going to reveal it in a few days, and I wanted my team to be the first to know.” He said.

“What do you want to say?” Kurenai asked, tears forming in her eyes at Naruto’s arm working. She’d thought she’d crippled him for life, but knowing she hadn’t lifted a weight off her that she had forgotten she was carrying.

“For one, the Fourth was too noble a man to use just any child to seal the fox. So… He used his own.”

“Wait…” Kurenai’s eyes widened at the insinuation.

“Naruto, a-a-a-are you saying t-t-t-that you’re…” Hinata continued.

“You’re the Fourth Hokage’s son?” Tenten finished.

“I am. The only child of Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina Uzumaki. Which also makes me the sole heir to the Uzumaki clan, since my grandfather was the previous head of it.”

“Holy shit…” Tenten sighed.

“But… How does that play into your arm working?” Kurenai asked.

“Ah, you see, when people called me a demon as a child, they were right. But for the wrong reasons. I’m not the fox, more on him in a second, but I am a quarter demon. My grandfather was actually a demon from hell who wanted to help protect humanity. Apparently many other Uzumaki were in the same boat. This makes my mother half demon, and me a quarter demon.”

The girls were stunned into silence, and he was pretty sure Hinata had just fainted standing up. But he pressed on in his story.

“The woman who found me, and who I considered a mother, was also half demon. The trade she taught me was demon hunting. When demons start causing problems for humans, we get a call and step in to take them out. The majority of demons are mindless killers. A lot of the high level demons do have higher than human intelligence and see us as little more than hyper intelligent ants that hardly warrant notice unless as things to be squashed. I fall into the category of Devil. Typically all half breeds are devils, but some of them go full on demon. Typically I don’t kill humans unless they’ve totally abandoned their humanity… I’m going off on a tangent… Anyway, the reason I can use my arm is because when mom died, which I unfortunately had to watch happen, my demonic power surged and fixed my busted arm. Made it more demonic.” He unwrapped the bandages to show them what he meant and once again got a gasp.

“This… This is a lot to take in.” Tenten said.

“What happened with the fox then?” Kurenai asked.

“I let him go.”

“YOU WHAT?!”

“Relax. He wasn’t as bloodthirsty as people think. Apparently he was under a genjutsu by an Uchiha, which made him attack. The tailed beasts are just giant sentient chakra constructs anyway, so it’s not like you can really kill him. He might not have a body right now, but he’ll reform in a few decades anyway. And, had I been killed as a child he probably would’ve just been let out.”

“Oh…” She let that implication sink in. “I almost had a heart attack…”

“I’m sure. Anyway I say all that to say you’re going to be needing these.” He pulled out three books and handed them to the girls, Hinata barely able to hold on to hers.

“Demon Killing for Ninja” Kurenai read. “Why would we need this?”

“Because being on a team with me means your chances of running into a demon increase exponentially. But it also means your chances of surviving said encounter are raised exponentially. About twenty percent of the population will encounter a demon once in their lifetime. That once is usually the end of their life. This book will help keep that once from staying once.”

“We’re going to be killing demons?” Tenten asked.

“At some point, yes.”

“… Awesome!”

“So this hasn’t changed anything between us, right?” He asked.

“Like we said earlier, Naruto. To the ends of the Earth.” Hinata smiled gently.

“Thanks. Oh, before I forget, I’m going to start the process of remaking the Uzumaki clan soon. I wanted to ask if any of you wanted to join.”

The three women went silent.

Hinata actually fainted, Kurenai too shocked to catch the girl.

“Are you… Are you asking us to marry you?” Kurenai asked.

“Huh? No. No, no, no, as far as I know from what I learned about clans while traveling, I’m allowed to invite people into the clan just as regular or honorary members.”

“Oh…” Kurenai breathed a sigh of relief. “As much as I might like your company, it would be a little weird if you were asking me to marry you.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think that question through. Anyway, you don’t have to answer now. Just think on it.”

“I’m in.” Tenten said.

“Just like that?”

“What else do I have? I’ve always wanted a real family, and this is the best I’m going to get for a long time… Ooh, I even get a last name!” She smiled.

“Yup.” He smiled back. Let’s get going.

——

Kurenai was nearly late for the Jonin meeting due to her teams outing. They had to explain to Hinata when she woke up what Naruto meant, and while she was a little disappointed, she couldn’t say she didn’t like the offer. There was always the chance to become his wife later. Kurenai herself didn’t mind the offer either, as they’d be better off in general tied to a clan. She didn’t doubt he’d extend the offer to Anko as well. Which begged the question, if they all accepted the offer, should Tenten move in with them? It would be extremely convenient to have the whole team in one house, but then would it be worth the hassle to get her moved in only to have them all shortly move into a clan district?

She filed these thoughts away for later as she entered the Hokage’s office. Kakashi wasn’t there, and there were still five minutes before the meeting officially started, so she was in the clear.

“Kurenai. It’s unlike you to nearly be late.” Hiruzen noticed as the woman lined up with her fellow Jonin.

“Ah, apologies, sir. I lost track of time.” She said.

“I’m sure. Now we only have to wait for Kakashi. He should be here any moment.”

“Isn’t the meeting only just about to start? Kakashi is always late, even to these things.” Asuma said.

“True. But I’ve developed a system when it comes to him.” The old man smiled.

As if on cue, Kakashi popped into the room reading his little orange book.

“Sorry I’m late everyone. I got lost on the road to life.” The white haired man said.

“I’m sure. Let’s get started.” The old Hokage sighed, acting as if he was annoyed.

The Jonin lined up and delivered the verdict on their possible teams. Most of them were failures. What surprised everyone was Kakashi.

“Kiba Inuzuka, Sakura Haruno, and Shino Aburame pass and now form Team 7.” Kakashi said.

“Really? You’re passing a team?” Asuma asked.

“They’ve got potential. Sakura could use work on her practical skill, and Kiba is boastful but strong. Shino needs some work in close combat, but all in all they could be great ninja.”

“Noted. Kurenai?”

“Ah, yes. Tenten, Hinata Yuhi, and Naruto Uzumaki pass and now form Team 8.”

“Naruto passed? How? He wasn’t even in the village and shouldn’t have been able to attend any other villages academy.” A Jonin noted.

“Naruto received a less structured form of training, focusing largely on actual field relevant skills as apposed to the Academy teaching style. He claims to have met both Zabuza Momochi and the Sannin Tsunade in his travels and to have learned several skills from them.” Kurenai said.

“What?!” Hayate Jumped from his seat. “There’s no way he learned from a one of the Legendary Seven Swordsmen of the Mist! That’s like… Most of them are dead or missing ninja! Hell, the Mist doesn’t even have all the swords anymore!”

“I wouldn’t know. I didn’t see his swordplay. He didn’t even draw his blade. He came at me with a projectile weapon called a gun and taijutsu mostly. Their objective was to capture me, and they came up with a plan that involved pushing me towards a trap without my notice.”

“You can brag about your team later, Kurenai. Asuma?”

“Yes. Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi passed, now forming Team 10.”

“Just three teams, huh. Well, they seem to be promising teams.” The Hokage said.

——

Naruto and the girls had gone back to their house after lunch, taking the time to relax and get to know one another some more. Naruto also pulled some parlor tricks with his Devil Breaker, but that wasn’t here or there.

“Hey, Naruto.” Tenten called.

“Yeah.”

“Can I see your gun?” She asked.

“This one? No. It wouldn’t work for you. But…” He pulled his Home Scroll from his arm and unrolled it, “I do have other guns. You’re welcome to have a few if you want.”

“Really?!” She asked excitedly.

“Yeah. Not like I’m going to be using them. Plus, if you’re going to be fighting demons, you’re going to need guns. I was going to give some to all of you.”

Naruto pulled a smaller scroll from the section labeled ‘Guns’ which was right between ‘Pizza’ and ‘Swords’. He opened the smaller scroll and two guns popped out.

“Okay, to start, these are modified FNP pistols called the Binary Star.” He handed the two guns to Tenten, who took a liking to them immediately.

“These things are awesome! They feel perfect in my hands!” She said.

“They were probably meant for you. Now, you said you like firepower, so this next gun is chock full of it. It’s a shotgun that’s has a second ammo type called dragons breath. It basically shoots fire.” He pulled out an EVA-8 model and handed it to her. “I just call it the Dragon.”

“I love it!”

“Now, Hinata, for you… I don’t know. I was thinking machine pistols, but that might be more Tenten’s thing. How about a rocket launcher?”

“A-A-A-A r-r-r-rocket launcher?” She muttered.

“Either that or a sniper. Your eyes would be perfect for picking off targets at long ranges. You wouldn’t even need a scope.”

“We should go outside and test these.” Tenten suggested, just giddy to try out her new weapons.

“You know, what? Yeah, let’s do that!” Naruto said, rolling his scrolls back up and following Tenten out the door.

Hinata just sat there for a moment, before sighing with a light smile and following her teammates.

Wanting to be alone, they made their way to one of the more secluded training grounds. Lucky for them it was one of the least used in the village and still had trees to shoot at.

After giving the two (Specifically Tenten) a quick rundown of how the weapons worked and that they didn’t need to reload due to modification seals on the inside, he let them (Her) go try things out.

Tenten immediately started firing and, much to Naruto’s surprise, she was really good with them.

“Right… Well, let’s start you with a sniper.” Naruto pulled a long barreled gun from his storage scroll. “This one doesn’t have a scope, so for most people they wouldn’t be able to use it to its full effectiveness. You, however, have the Byakugan and should be able to see for a further distance. What’s the furthest you can see right now?”

“T-t-t-t-three hundred meters.”

“Not bad. I’m going to send a clone out to the edge of your range and I want you to hit it.”

“O-o-o-okay.”

Once the clone was in position Naruto had Hinata lay down on the ground to fire. She did and cried out from the kick.

“Oh fuck! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Naruto said. “I forgot about the recoil. That’s probably going to bruise…”

“Can you heal her?” Tenten asked.

“No… No I can’t. I’m really sorry.” Naruto said again, helping Hinata onto her back.

“I-i-i-it’s okay… I’ve been through worse.”

“It’s not okay. I should’ve remembered something so important. But I think I do have a good gun for you. Very minimal recoil. Do you think you want to try it now?”

“Okay.” Hinata said, getting up with Naruto and Tenten’s delicate help.

“This baby is the R-6 Softball. It fires rockets in an arc that explode on contact.”

Hinata gingerly took the weapon and aimed it with Naruto’s help to hit the tree line. She pulled the trigger a few times and barely felt the gun move. But it was the aftermath that truly shocked her. The small grenades hit the trees and then part of the tree was just gone. Tenten stared in complete awe while Hinata was still processing what was happening.

Then she started laughing.

Naruto looked down at the girl to see a manic smile on her face as she laughed hysterically at the destruction she’d caused.

“Well, looks like you two have more in common than you thought.” Naruto said to Tenten.

“I guess we do.” Tenten smiled.

“Also, take these.” He handed her a pair of MP5k guns that she looked over before firing at the tree line.

“I love you.” Tenten said wistfully.

“Thank you.” Naruto smirked.

“He’s mine!” Hinata immediately snapped.

“Wow. Okay. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I should’ve been.” Tenten said.

“I… So…” Hinata started before bolting off, dropping her weapon.

“You should go after her.”

“And do what? No one was expecting that. I doubt she wants me to comfort her right now.”

“You really don’t understand women.” Tenten sighed.

“I don’t.”

“You should work on that.”

“I’m not sure it’s possible.”

“… Honestly, neither am I.”

“Wanna shoot more guns?”

“Fuck yes!” Tenten half moaned.

——

Hinata held the tears back until she got home, blasting right past a very confused Kurenai and heading up to her room.

“I thought we were past our drama limit for the day.” She sighed, before making some tea to help calm her little sister.

She walked up to Hinata’s room holding the girls favorite mug filled with her favorite tea and knocked on the door.

“Go away!” Was the muffled reply.

“Hinata, let me in. I’ve got your favorite tea.” Kurenai plead.

There were several silent moments before the door opened a crack. Kurenai walked in and sat Hinata’s mug on the stand next to her bed.

“Mind telling me what’s wrong?” Kurenai asked. She received a reply muffled by the pillow Hinata had her face buried in. “What was that?”

“I… love him.”

“One more time?”

“I accidentally told Naruto I love him!” She shouted.

“And how did you manage that?”

“He was showing us new weapons to use and Tenten said she loved him and I knew she only meant because the weapons and she was kind of joking but I turned around and practically snarled at her that he was mine and-and-and…” She trailed off taking a deep breath.

“I see…” Kurenai took a sip of her tea to hide the amused look on her face.

“It’s not funny!” Hinata said.

“It kind of is. But you know this isn’t going to affect your relationship with him.”

“I want it too!”

“You want him to not be your friend anymore?”

“That’s not what I meant! I want him to like me back!”

“Hinata, you know better than anyone that matters of the heart are complicated. Didn’t that Inuzuka boy have a crush on you in the academy?”

“Yeah, but he’s so pushy and always tries to act like I belong to him.” She sighed.

“I’m sure there were several other boys who had crushes on you as well that you never noticed because you were still hung up on Naruto.”

“… Possibly.” Hinata thought back on the academy.

“Naruto has been gone for a long time and he’s not the same person. He’s still kind and caring at his core, but there are things that are different about him that I’m sure you’ve noticed. He’s a very forgiving person and I doubt he will let this break up the team. He’ll probably come talk to you about it after you’ve calmed down.”

“But what if he says he doesn’t like me?”

“That’s the worst that can happen. He’s not going to berate you or be mean to you for it.”

“I know but…”

“But what?”

“What if he says he doesn’t want to date me?”

“Hinata, you’re a very beautiful girl. Any guy would be lucky to have you. But you also have to realize that you’re young. While being a ninja does make you an adult now, if you prosper in your career you’ll likely live to at least your forties. Unless something really crazy happens. Actually, I’ve flipped through that demon book Naruto gave us and at this point I’m thinking of getting a man just for the comfort factor…”

“You’re not helping!” Hinata shouted.

“Sorry. Sorry. But still, you’re young and you’ve got a few years to worry about these kinds of things.”

“I know…”

“Good. Now stop worrying. Drink your tea, calm down, and come watch some T.V with me.”

“Alright.” Hinata smiled.

——

Naruto walked into the house just before dinner. He’d shown Tenten more guns, but only let her keep the MP5k’s, FNP, and EVA. Really it was probably more than she needed, but he wasn’t using them, so what did it matter? He also had to go through the trouble of applying storage seals to her arms to keep her larger guns. This then lead to him having to put them between her fingers to store kunai and shuriken, and even some on her hands to hold swords.

The process took way longer than he wanted, but she would be far more effective now since she didn’t have to worry about carrying around weapon scrolls. She did initially worry about seal degradation, but he assured here they were basically tattoos as long as they had a passive chakra supply. You could only take them off if you wanted to.

Once that was finally over he walked her home to her small studio apartment and they parted ways. After Hinata left he couldn’t really deny it felt more like a date than anything, but he wasn’t going to let things get awkward. He had no intentions of dating at the moment.

Now he had to explain that to Hinata.

“Just in time for dinner.” Kurenai called.

“Yeah. Where’s Hinata?”

“Up in her room getting changed. I recommend you knock if you want to talk to her.”

“Kay.” Naruto said walking towards the stairs.

Lucky for him he didn’t even have to go to her door. When he reached the top of the stairs she was coming out of her room. She nearly shot back into said room when she saw him, but managed to steel herself and stay there.

“I want to talk about earlier.” Naruto started.

“I-I-I know.”

“I know what you’re worried about. And you are attractive, that much is hard to deny. Cute like a kitten.” Her face went cherry red at the compliment, “But.” He stopped hard. “I’m not looking for a relationship at the moment. I don’t think I’m really in the right head space for it.”

“What head space are you in?”

“The demon killing head space. I don’t really want to risk whoever I get involved with getting attacked and not being able to defend themselves or anything. Being my teammate is already putting you in more danger than just being a regular ninja, just imagine if elite tier demons, the ones with beyond human intelligence, found out I was more emotionally attached than just friends? They’d come after you in the worst ways. And I don’t mean to scare you with this, but the worst thing you can imagine happening to a captured female ninja is considered tame for them.”

Hinata gasped.

“Yeah. Just friends for now, right?”

“Yeah, just friends for now.” She pulled him into a hug. “But I will make you mine one day.”

“I can’t say I dislike the determination.” Naruto laughed. “Though I don’t understand what you girls see in me.”

“We girls?” She asked as she pulled away from him and started down the stairs.

“Yes. I’ve come across several dozen girls in my travels who for some reason find me exceedingly attractive. I’ve been proposed too a few times. I don’t get it. I’ve never been anything but myself.”

“That’s exactly why, dummy.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“You really don’t understand women.”

“I don’t. Hey, did you notice you haven’t been stuttering?”

“Ah! Uh… I…”

“It happens sometimes when she feels particularly bold. Try not to tease her about it too much.” Kurenai laughed.

“Isn’t that like, half the fun of interacting with her though?” Naruto joked, prompting Hinata to hit his arm a few times.

“It is, but you have to be subtle.”

“Kurenai!” Hinata whined, covering her ever reddening face.

“Alright, alright, let’s eat.” She laughed.

——

“Today, I’m teaching you how to shoot.” Naruto declared as his team arrived at training ground 58, one of the indoor training grounds he actually had to ask permission to use.

The girls looked dumbly at the targets he set up. The room was filled with different human and demon shaped targets placed almost randomly.

“Wait, I’m supposed to be the teacher here.” Kurenai argued.

“Yes. But you’ve never fought a demon. Also, this is for you.” He handed her a blocky gun with two barrels stacked vertically. “This is a double barrel revolver. I had it custom made. It’s called the Sapphire Star and it’s yours now.”

Kurenai looked over the weapon for a bit, looking down the sights with the barrel aimed at Naruto.

“WHOA!” Naruto shouted, moving out of the way.

“What? What did I do?”

“You pointed a gun at me! With your finger on the trigger! Never, ever, ever, point a gun at something you don’t intend to kill. Especially with your finger on the trigger. These guns are always loaded and you could have shot me.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” She apologized, face burning red.

“It’s okay. Just, that’s why I wanted to go through all this. Go through the basic gun safety rules and all that, and teach you how to shoot and where to shoot demons.”

“Okay, but we’re doing proper ninja stuff after lunch.”

“Noted. Now, let’s get started.”

It was no surprise that Tenten picked all of it up easily. Put a weapon in her hands and the girl was like a fish in water.

Hinata didn’t have too much to learn. For her it was point, shoot, try not to get too giddy from explosions. A problem she shared with Tenten.

Kurenai’s main problem was recoil. She had trouble holding onto the gun at first, but by the time it was lunch she had a decent handle on it. Naruto struggled not to laugh too hard when she let go of the gun and it slammed into her face. She made him run extra laps for laughing, but he was fine with that.

“So, how’s your shoulder, Hinata?” Tenten asked.

“I-it’s fine now. I put some healing c-c-c-cream on it.” She answered.

“That’s good. Can’t have you hurt when we start missions tomorrow.”

“About that.” Kurenai started.

“Oh no.” Naruto said.

“We have to do D-ranks. It’s a minimum of forty before we can do higher ranks, or twenty before I can recommend you for higher missions.”

“What do D-ranks entail?” Tenten asked.

“Honestly… Chores.”

“Fucking…” Naruto groaned.

“Watch your language!” Kurenai snapped.

“You’re not my mom.”

“Maybe not, but didn’t yours ever teach you not to swear?”

“No,” He scoffed. “That lady swore like it was her job. The obscenities she could string together would make a prostitute blush.”

“O-oh…” Hinata said, going red.

“I wish I could have met her.” Tenten said.

“No! No you don’t! Naruto, don’t swear around me.”

“Noted.” The blond said. “But-.”

“No buts!”

“But, when you first see a demon you’re going to swear.”

“I doubt it.”

“Trust me. I was eight when I first saw one and the first thing in my head was ‘holy shit’! It’s an experience.”

“We’ll see.”

“We will.”

———

“That was terrible.” Tenten said.

“It was the worst.” Naruto said.

“It wasn’t that bad.” Hinata tried to cheer her team up.

“No, that was pretty bad.” Kurenai said.

They had just finished a D-rank and were walking to go get food. They had been doing around two D-ranks a day just to speed through them as quickly as possible, but today they ended up with the most mind numbing thing they could have: Inventory.

It wouldn’t have been so bad if it was at an interesting store, but it wasn’t. No, they were running inventory for a home repair store with a rather large warehouse. It took up most of their afternoon. Luckily they were halfway done with D-ranks before Kurenai could recommend them for higher rank missions, not to mention it was Friday, so they had the weekend to themselves.

The Hokage had made Naruto’s heritage public only a few days after he became a ninja and as many would expect it was met with… mixed reactions. The staunch “Demon haters” denied the fact while everyone else was either indifferent or ready to throw themselves at his feet to apologize. He was surprised to see some of the clan heads come to apologize to him in person for the actions or inaction of themselves or those in their clan. Naruto accepted them all and told them there were no hard feelings. He imagined the old man also told them in private about the possible revival of the Uzumaki clan because Hiashi Hyuga supported it the idea.

He had also finalized his business deal with the Akimichi clan and was basically salivating at the idea of half off pork ribs. He was about ready to go grab a few plates now, but more than anything he just wanted to take a nap.

“Well, look on the bright side,” Hinata said, “We’ll be done with these after next week.”

“True enough.” Tenten said.

“Man,” Naruto stretched, “I can’t wait to get home. Take a nap or something. I’m surprised I haven’t gotten any… Oh.” He trailed off, suddenly more awake.

“What?” Kurenai asked.

“I just remembered I didn’t tell any of my mission brokers that I’m not traveling anymore. So they’ve been holding any jobs I’ve been asked on for the past two weeks. I need to send out letters so they know to send them here now.”

“Jobs?” Tenten asked.

“Yeah. Demon hunting jobs. Of course there’s a whole process so I don’t end up wasting time going out of my way just to find it wasn’t a demon. No, there are passwords and things like that. Can’t just go after every single request I get without knowing it’s real. Some people say it’s a demon, but really it’s just a guy who’s a major asshole, and that’s not really my department.”

“Watch your mouth.” Kurenai said.

Naruto shrugged. “I need to go send out some letters. I’ll catch up with you guys.” He said, turning back the way they’d come.

“… What an odd kid.” Kurenai smirked.

“I mean, we’ve known that since we met him.” Tenten said.

“A fair enough point.”

———

It was night time and Naruto was pretty much sound asleep. Of course, for someone like him, that didn’t mean he wasn’t also decently aware of his surroundings. Both through training and experience Naruto was able to snap awake at the first sign of something being wrong. And that’s exactly what happened at three in the morning on their day off.

He felt a surge of demonic power and snapped awake. He looked around his room to find it empty. He felt another surge and realized it was coming from the living room. Jumping out of bed he rushed down the hall, gun in hand in case it was an enemy.

Anko and her team had just gotten back the village the night before, having finished their mission, finally. They made it just before the gates were closed for the night. After giving their report they decided to go out to celebrate a successful mission and went out drinking. Anko, used to drinking, had somehow managed to get very smashed. She was drunk enough that she thought about the things she normally didn’t. Namely, her curse mark. The damn thing was a constant thorn in her neck, literally. If she overexerted herself or used too much chakra it would flare up and cause immense pain.

Really, “Immense” felt like an understatement. It was an indescribably pain. It burned almost like hot needles poking deep into her body. But it felt cold at the same time, like someone was stabbing a blade of ice into her. Possibly it was a mix of both, or so cold it was hot, or maybe vice versa. It was impossible to tell in the moment because of how much pain it caused and she would usually be too tired afterward to really think about it. It was only in calm moments like trying to sleep at night that she could really think about these things.

Tonight would have been one of those nights had she not been particularly drunk. Training was one of the few things Anko enjoyed doing. However, as a result of the curse mark, she could never push herself entirely passed that threshold to truly better herself. Any progress she made was slow and hardly noticeable even after long periods of time.

Combine her wanting to train, dark thoughts of her past, her natural defiance, and a metric ton of alcohol, and you end up with the current situation: An Anko that smells of sweat and booze writhing in pain on the couch.

Deep in her mind, in the more sober and less alcohol soaked parts, she considered that she may have deserved this for being stupid. She was well aware of what would happen, but she ignored it and pushed on anyway. Now she was going to be in nearly indescribable pain until she either passed out or it eventually subsided. Considering how much she drank, she figured the former would come first.

Of course she didn’t consider the possibility of what happened next.

Naruto burst into the living room gun aimed at the source of the demonic energy. He calmed slightly at the sight of Anko, but not by much. Anko, on the other hand, became aware enough of her surroundings to see Naruto pointing a weapon at her. Normally she might be upset or even a little surprised, but two things kept those reactions from happening. The first would, of course, be her immense pain, the second was the dull neon blue light pulsing from his supposedly busted right arm.

“What the fuck is happening to you?” Naruto asked.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it!” She bit out.

“Bullshit! You’re leaking demonic power like a faucet. Where is it coming from?” He stepped towards her.


	8. Inner Animal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Swordsman Naruto with Bleach elements. I think I wrote this in like, 2017 or so. Been a while so I don't remember a ton about it.

Fate. Really, it’s an abstract concept. Some people see it as something written in stone. Events transcribed by the heavens above. For others, it’s a large river with branching streams. Some even say fate is just certain points in time that have to happen. Most people don’t believe in fate at all. Depending on who you ask, you’ll get different answers on how it works or whether it exists.

Some would say it was fate for young Naruto Uzumaki to be hated by his village. An outcast, beaten and abused for reasons beyond him. They would tell you it was just his lot in life. Any sane person wouldn’t say it was fate for a seven year old to be constantly abused by strangers, but these were people overcome by intense fear and hatred. Not that it excuses their actions, but it shows they aren’t all there.

Indeed the boy was destined to accomplish great things, but they didn’t know that.

It was on a day where Naruto was on his way to visit the Hokage, who acted as a surrogate uncle, that his fate made a detour down one of the smaller streams. He skipped excitedly through Hokage Tower to the office where the old man usually was to find it empty. His face fell and he was about to leave and come back later when he heard people coming. He couldn’t really tell you why, but he hid. His instinct took over and he squeezed himself behind a bookshelf.

“Hiruzen, you must reconsider!” Danzo said. “The boy could be the villages greatest asset if I’m allowed to train him! If I can teach him to harness the fox’s power none of the other villages would stand a chance against us!”

‘What are they talking about?’ Naruto wondered to himself.

“No, Danzo! We’ve already betrayed the Fourths wishes enough! His father sealed the beast in him hoping him to be hailed as a savior for being the beasts jailer, and you see how the villagers treat him! Not to mention we can’t allow any of the clans to adopt him! Do you have any idea how heartbreaking it is to have to turn down Mikoto every time she asks? She was his mothers best friend and I can’t allow her to take care of him because it would be seen as a political move! The same with allowing you to take him.”

“I really must side with Danzo on this,” Koharu said, “Naruto would be the village’s greatest ninja, possibly even greater than his father, if Danzo were allowed to train him.”

‘Me?’ He asked with a start.

“I concur,” Homura said, “We might not be in need of the military power at the moment, but who knows what could happen in the future? The Hidden Stone could be plotting something as we speak! You remember what happened with the Cloud a few years back right?”

“For the last time, the answer is no. If Naruto is going to undergo any training or be adopted by anyone, it will be by a neutral party.” The Third Hokage said with finality.

“Fine. But this matter isn’t over.” Danzo said, leaving with the other advisers.

Hiruzen sighed and sat in his desk.

“Come out, Naruto.”

Naruto pulled himself from behind the bookshelf and stood in the middle of the room with tears in his eyes. There was too much going on for him to be happy about his father being the Fourth Hokage.

“What were you doing in here?” His voice was patient but authoritative.

“I-I was c-coming t-t-to see you… A-and I-I heard people coming s-s-so I hid.” Naruto choked out.

Hiruzen nodded. He knew how the boy was treated, so the reaction was likely instinctual.

“Naruto, I need you to understand something. You are not the fox. You’re the fox’s prison. The simplest way I can explain it is you’re like a human sealing scroll. The fox has no influence over you or your actions. You are your own person. You are not a monster. Do you understand me?”

“Then why does everyone treat me like I am?” Tears were falling down his face now.

“Because they’re scared. They don’t understand how sealing works and they don’t get it. They’re ignorant and blinded by fear.”

“Why me?”

“The fox attack was devastating. Your mother was the previous host, and the fox was torn from her when you were born. In a last ditch effort to save the village your father made what I believe the hardest choice he ever had to make, even through the war. He made the choice to make you the host of the Nine tailed demon Fox. Your mother was against it, but there wasn’t much else to be done. As he was sealing the fox into you it tried to kill you. Your parents threw themselves in front of the attack to save you. Then your father finished the seal and your parents died wishing you a happy life and hoping you be treated as a hero.”

Naruto was on his knees, sobs wracking his body as he cried. Hiruzen got up and moved over to the boy to try and comfort him. He rubbed his back gently. He didn’t really know how to console the boy. He’d just learned a lot about himself, and the old man imagined he wasn’t going to be right for a while, if he even came out of this the same as he was.

“Was… Was what they said true?”

“About what?”

“That I could be as great as my dad?” He asked, calming down and wiping the tears from his face.

“Yes. With proper training you could easily surpass your parents. Your mother was a force to be reckoned with as well. Your father was one of the greatest ninja this village has ever seen, but who do you think kept him in line?” Hiruzen asked with a smile.

Naruto giggled before letting out a forlorn sigh. “But no one would train me. Everyone hates me, so no one would train me right.”

“Actually, there are a few people I think who will be up to the task.”

“Really?!” Naruto jumped up excitedly.

“Yes, but you have to realize something first, Naruto. You can’t continue to conduct yourself the way you have been. Your dream is to be Hokage, to have everyone recognize you, but the fact of the matter is you only become Hokage because you’re recognized. You have to be a great ninja before you can become Hokage, not the other way around. And to be a great ninja, you need more than just flashy jutsu. You need composure and knowledge and the ability to think and plan. Your father knew hundreds of jutsu, but he won almost all of his fights with two: The Rasengan and The Flying Thunder God. He was a master of planning.”

“Will I get to learn those?”

“In time. First you need to get down proper chakra control, as well as a few other things. Do you think you can do that for me?”

“Yes!”

“Great!” The old man had a gentle smile on his face. “Show up here tomorrow and we’ll get started on your training. After I finish my paper work. I need to see how you fare in the basics before we can move on.”

“Alright!”

“And Naruto, one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Promise you won’t tell anyone about who your parents are. If it gets out you might get kidnapped or someone could try to assassinate you. That’s why no one else knows and why you have your mothers last name. Your father had a lot of enemies, and we don’t want any of them coming after you.”

“Okay.” Naruto said before leaving.

Hiruzen sighed. In truth, he really did have a few people besides Danzo that wanted to train or adopt Naruto, but they just wanted power. None of them saw him, they saw what was sealed inside him and the potential of it. They were much like Danzo in that regard. He looked over a list of potential trainers for Naruto and eventually settled on one. She wasn’t from the village, actually arriving a few years after the attack, and was a rather good Jonin, if not a bit out of it. He wasn’t sure how she would feel taking on an apprentice, but she was the best shot he could think of.

——

Naruto showed up at Hokage Tower as asked, later in the afternoon. He went into the office and saw the Old man along with a woman. She’s around 5’2” wearing a black shirt that fits just right and black Hakama, which contrasts against her fair white skin. She has a sword that appears to be nearly her height if not longer hanging from her shoulder by a strap and long silk black hair hanging down to her hips.

“Ah, you must be Naruto. Lord Hokage was just telling me about you.” Her smile is thin and ghostly, making him a little uneasy.

“Naruto, this is Retsu Unohana. She’ll be taking care of your training until you enter the academy next year. If you wish, she’ll even train you through out.”

“N-nice to meet you.” Naruto stutters.

“Such a cutie. Well, let’s get started.” She says with her ghostly smile.

“Of course. Follow me.” The old man stood and led them out of the room.

The group arrived in a room covered in seals with a separate set of them on the floor in the middle of the room.

“Alright Naruto, step into the seals on the floor and try to pull out as much chakra as possible. We just want to check your reserves. Based on this we’ll see where we need to go from there.”

“Okay.”

Naruto stepped into the middle of the seals and closed his eyes. It took him a few minutes, but he managed to activate the seals. Three pillars from floor to ceiling that started off yellow but quickly began to change color. As Naruto pulled more and more chakra out the wind picked up and the colors of the pillars flashed yellow, green, turquoise, blue, purple, violet, then finally a deep red.

“Stop.” The Third said.

“Did I do good?” Naruto asked.

“You did very well.” He said.

“Did I just see that right?” Retsu asked.

“Yes.”

“But that means…”

“Yes…”

The scale for the chakra test was from yellow to red, with yellow being the least and red being the most. It was possible for each pillar to be a different color to show a more accurate depiction of ones chakra reserves. All of the pillars were red for Naruto. Which meant this seven year old child with no training had equivalent reserves to not one, but three Jonin rank ninja. And it would only grow from there.

“Well, I’m definitely interested in training him now.”

“I thought you would be. Just do me a favor and don’t beat him down too badly.”

“I’m not some monster.” Retsu brought her hand to her chest in mock offense. 

“Okay, Naruto, let’s move on to the next exercise. This is to test your chakra control. I just want you to stick this leaf to your forehead and hold it there using just your chakra.” Hiruzen said, handing Naruto a leaf.

The boy nodded, a little confused by the task, but tried anyway. After a few minutes of trying, and some incredibly amusing faces, he actually got it to stick. For all of two seconds. After that, the leaf basically exploded. They tried the leaf spinning with similar results.

“I think you should teach him shadow clones. He obviously has far too much chakra to learn the basics first.”

“You can’t be serious. That’s a high level technique and only a handful of ninja can do it.”

“And obviously Naruto is one of them. Besides, it will help him improve by leaps and bounds. He’ll be one of the best in the academy with the technique by the time I’m done with him. I think even teaching him from more advanced to least advanced wouldn’t net him any real gain. I estimate he’d be at least fifteen or so before he’d even begin to have control equivalent to his peers. Shadow Clones would expedite that.”

Hiruzen was hesitant, but he knew the woman was right. “Fine. Naruto, I want to teach you something.”

Both of them were surprised. It took him no more than an hour to learn the shadow clone technique. And when he did, he could already make ten of himself. Granted he wasted a lot of chakra in the process, but it was still an in impressive feat for a child with zero prior training.

“Well, that will be it for today.” Hiruzen said noting how low the sun was. “Retsu will be taking over you training from tomorrow on, so be sure to listen to her, okay.”

“Okay.” Naruto said.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be too hard on you. I’ll walk you home tonight so I can come get you in the morning and show you where we’ll be training. Next week it will be up to you to get there on time.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Don’t call me ma’am. It’s Miss, or Retsu.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Okay. Now, let’s get you home.”

The two walked down the street with Naruto leading her. They took a roundabout way with few if any people to reach the apartment he lived in. Retsu was more than a little surprised when she saw the street was nearly abandoned. She didn’t know if it was for his safety of if people just didn’t want to be around the boy.

“Okay, I’ll be here to pick you up around six tomorrow, so make sure to get some sleep.”

“Okay.” Naruto said before going up.

——

The door swung open just as she was about to knock. Seven year olds weren’t really known for getting up early, so she was beyond surprised to see the blond boy up and ready, dressed in his atrociously bright orange outfit.

“Well, you’re up early.”

“You said you’d be here at six.”

“I didn’t expect you to be up.”

“Old- The Hokage said Ninja are supposed to be on time.”

“They are. Come on, we’re going to take a light jog to our training grounds.”

This was not a light jog for Naruto. For someone as malnourished as he was, this was more like running with all his might through the forest for days on end. He would have been throwing up when they reached Training Ground Forty-Three if not for the fact that he hadn’t eaten.

“You okay?” She asked,

“Not… Really…” Naruto heaved.

“We really need to work on your stamina. What do you eat?”

“Ramen… Mostly… Sometimes rice.”

“That’s not good for you. You need to have a well balanced diet. Why don’t you eat anything else?”

“Can’t… Can’t buy groceries…” He said, starting to get his wind back.

“I see… Well, since is the first day, we’ll make it light. Make some clones and we’ll do some work outs while they do chakra control.”

Naruto nodded and did as she asked. By noon the boy felt like death, but they were done for the day.

“What are we doing now?”

“The shadow clones have a special property to them that regular clones don’t. You get their memories when they dispel. So, while your clones dispel, we’re going to meditate. After that, we’re going to buy you some stuff and I’m going to introduce you to someone.”

“What are we buying? Who am I meeting?” Naruto asked excitedly.

“Patience. You’ll learn in time. Now, for meditation, just reflect on the things you’ve learned today. Think deeply about the techniques that have been employed and why they work.”

Once the meditation was finally over, Naruto didn’t feel like he understood anything better, but he had learned some things. He knew there was a difference, but not what it was.

“So, where are we going now?”

“You go home. I’m going to go get somethings. I’ll meet you back at your house and we’ll go meet a friend of mine. Make sure to shower.”

“Okay.”

It had been nearly an hour and she wasn’t back. He was starting to get worried when there was a knock on the door. He ran and opened it to find Retsu holding a lot of bags.

“What’s all that?”

“You said you can’t buy groceries, so I got you some. I also got you some seeds and books on gardening. That way you can grow your own food. We can set it up on the roof or something later, and— Oh god why is it so dirty in here!” Her face twisted in disgust at the state of the apartment. Empty ramen cups and old clothes were strewn carelessly about the place. There was even the faint smell of weeks old milk.

“Uh…”

“How do you live like this?”

Naruto looked down.

“Okay.” She sighed like an annoyed mother, “We’ll clean it up and go.”

Much to her surprise, it wasn’t as bad as it looked. Nothing was set in and it was more that he just wasn’t particularly organized. It only took them half an hour to clean up.

“Wow! I’ve never seen it this clean in here before!” Naruto said.

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Well, the Hokage picked the place for me, but when I moved in I guess someone trashed it. The windows and everything got fixed, but I don’t really know how to clean very well, so I just left it.”

“What am I going to do with you?” Retsu sighed. “Alright, let’s go.”

Naruto had never been to this part of town before. He usually took the back streets to get around to avoid people, but this was way out of the way. He couldn’t believe there were shops way out here.

“These shops are ninja run for ninja only.” Retsu answered his unasked questions. “The ones you see are run by civilians. Which is why they charge so much for such low quality goods. They don’t know what we need or even really understand quality. These shops though, they’re run by retired ninja, so they know the ins and outs of the business and know what we need. I’m taking you to meet two people today. They run a shop that is second to none when it comes to meeting any ninja need. They only run on recommendation though, so not a lot of people can go to them. You are lucky enough that I decided to take you on as my apprentice, so you get in.”

“Wow.” Naruto was in actual awe. He’d never been part of anything exclusive before, so it was exciting for him.

“This is it.” Retsu said as they walked up to a black building with a blue sigh that read Kujaku. Peacock. Retsu pulled out a blue card and slid it into a card slot before the door clicked and she opened it.

The inside of the building was large and well lit. Weapons lined the walls to their right while clothing lined the walls to their left. There were racks in the middle of the floor for clothes that hung and shelves with smaller weapons like kunai. There was even a shared discount shelf with clothes on one side an weapons on the other.

Behind the counter was a tall woman who looked to be approaching six feet. She had a very slender build and a youthful look about her, despite her pale white skin. Naruto noted she looked lighter than Retsu. In her long black hair was a golden crescent moon ornament that looked like it was exploding from the sides of the back of her head. She had on a sleeveless black V cut shirt with white lining in the inside of the neck and a flowing ankle length skirt. Over that she had a long sleeved white Haori and over that a white robe fastened at the front with a golden ornament.

“Oh, Retsu! What can I do you for?” She smiled and almost looked as ghostly as Retsu. Almost.

“Not much today. I’ve decided to take on an apprentice, so I wanted to get him acquainted with you since this is where he’ll be getting all his equipment from now on.”

“I see, I see. And what’s your name, little guy?”

“Naruto Uzumaki.”

“Naruto Uzumaki. That’s quite the name you’ve got there. I’m Senjumaru Shutara. So, how do you like training with Retsu so far?”

“It’s hard… But I know training to be a great ninja is going to be hard.” He said with a look of determination in his eyes.

“Ooh, I like you!” She said with a small clap. “I rarely see young ones so determined! I see why Retsu took you under her wing. Let me get my partner. Echo, can you come out here?” She called.

After a few seconds a man with short black hair steps from the back. He stands a few inches taller than Senjumaru and has a dull look in his icy gray eyes. He’s wearing a black jacket over a black shirt and pants. There’s a long scar along his throat.

“This is my fellow owner, Echo. Ironically, Echo can’t speak.”

He hits her shoulder at her attempted joke.

“His vocal chords were damaged in the last war, so even though he’s not good for conversation, he’s one of the best smiths around. All of our weapons are made by him and you’d be hard pressed to find any of better quality in this town. The only weapon shop that even comes close is the one run by the Huang’s and that’s because they actually care about weapons. We have a wide variety of weapons to choose from, from training sets to the more complicated things you aren’t ready for yet. Any weapon you bring in, damaged or otherwise, you can trade in for a discount on whatever you plan to buy.”

“Cool!” Naruto said.

“As for the clothes, I make those myself. I don’t like to toot my own horn,” Retsu snorted, “but I’m a first class seamstress. I make all the clothes here with the highest quality thread I can find. All my clothes go above and beyond the call of duty. You won’t find anything like them in the entirety of the Land of Fire.”

“Yeah, yeah, you braggart. The boy already thinks you two are so cool, no need to take it so far. For now I’m just going to get him a training kunai set.”

“Alright. Hope to see you again.” Senjumaru said with a wave.

———

The next few weeks got easier for Naruto. He was able to make more and more clones, so his control got better, and he was eating better and exercising more, so he wasn’t getting tired out as easily.

The first few hours of the day are devoted to training. Running, push ups, general conditioning, while his clones focus on chakra control. Once it’s time for lunch they meditate on a piece of wisdom Retsu imparts on him while his clones dispel. In the afternoons comes Naruto’s least favorite part of the day: studying. But he doesn’t complain. He understands why it’s needed and in time even comes to enjoy it.

Especially when she hands him books on the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. Naruto absolutely loves it. And he falls hard and fast for one swordsman in particular. Kushimaru Kurirare, the wielder of the Sewing Needle. He’s practically begging to learn how to do the things he’s read the man do.

Retsu chuckles at his excitement.

“So you’re interested in the sword, huh? Well, being a swordswoman, I did plan on teaching you the sword at some point. Lay on your stomach and let me do something. I need to get a feel of your muscle structure to know what to teach you. We’ve just been working on conditioning for the last month or so, so I think now would be a good time to pick a fighting style for you.”

Naruto does as she asks and lies on his stomach. It takes everything in him not to spasm violently when she touches his back. He calms down as she moves her slender hands over him, but he has to try to focus on anything except how agonizingly slow this is going.

“Okay, I’m done.” She finally says and Naruto shoots up. “From what I can tell, you’re going to be around 5’10 when you stop growing. Your clothes make you look really stocky, but you’re more lean and built for a mix of speed and power than one or the other. But if you want to be like Kushimaru we should focus on getting you fast. Blindingly fast. And nimble. And flexible. Lucky for you I can get you all of those things. We’ll go to Kujaku tomorrow and get you a new outfit and I’ll ask Echo to make you a replica of the Sewing Needle to practice with.”

“Really?!”

“Yes. But, you’re going to have to take this incredibly seriously. The blade is not a toy. You could seriously hurt yourself or someone else. A blade is not just a tool or a weapon, it’s an extension of yourself. You must treat it with the same respect you would treat yourself. Understood?”

“Yes Miss.”

“Good. Let’s get going.”

When they were nearly back to Naruto’s house, he stopped.

“What’s wrong?”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Can you… Can you get me books on sealing jutsu?”

“Sealing? Why?”

“My parents were masters of it and I want to learn it as well.”

“You know who your parents are?”

“Yes. But I’m not allowed to say. Did you know them?”

“I have no idea who they are. You’ve been an orphan as long as I’ve been in this village, so I wouldn’t know. I’m just a little surprised at that. Yeah, I can get you some starter books on sealing.”

“Thanks, Retsu!” He ran up and hugged her.

She couldn’t help but smile warmly at the kid. She wasn’t usually the type for things like attachments, but the kid had really grown on her over the last month.

——

“Well look who it is! My favorite little blond!” Senjumaru said as Naruto walked in with Retsu.

“Hi!” He said excitedly.

“You look excited! What’s happening today?”

“Retsu said she’d get me a sword!”

“You what?” Senjumaru was shocked.

“I said I’d get him a training sword. A replica of the Sewing Needle.”

“The Sewing Needle?!”

Echo popped from the back after hearing the name of the sword. He gave the women an incredulous look.

“I had Naruto reading about the Swordsman of the Mist and he kind of fell in love with Kushimaru and his fighting style.” Retsu explained.

Echo nodded and wrote something down on paper before handing it to Senjumaru.

“He says he should have the sword done in a week.” She says.

“Perfect. That gives me time to get him started with everything.” Retsu says.

“Oh, you’ll be needing gloves so you don’t damage you hands with all that Ninja wire you’ll be using. I can make you some if you like.”

“Can I have them in orange?!”

“Hm… I know you like orange, Naruto, but bright colors aren’t exactly the best thing for sneaking. How about I make them dark orange? Something more earthy?”

Naruto mulled this over for a second.

“As long as they’re orange.”

“Okay! You can pick them up when you get sword next week!”

“Yes!” Naruto said excitedly, but not much more.

“Go look around for a new training set. We still need to work on your aim.” Retsu said. Naruto nodded and went off towards the training weapons.

“So how has it been having an apprentice?”

“Interesting. He’s not really the same kid I saw running around pulling pranks. In fact, I don’t think he’s pulled any pranks since I started training him.”

“That’s good. It shows how serious he is about all of this.”

“Yeah. He asked me to get him sealing jutsu books.”

“Really? Why the sudden interest in sealing of all things?”

“He says his parents were good at it and wants to follow in their footsteps.”

“Interesting. You know if you want to get someone as stocky as him as nimble as he needs to be to replicate Kushimaru it’s going to be a lot of work.”

“He’s actually not that stocky. He just wears baggy clothes. He’s really lean and built for speed. We just need to get his flexibility and coordination up. I’ll have him real nimble in a few weeks. By the time he starts the academy the kid will be a spider with that replica.”

“What makes you so sure? It takes decades of practice to get that good.”

“You want in on a secret?”

“Oh you know I love a good secret!”

“The kid has the reserves of three Jonin. We had to teach him the shadow clone jutsu just so he could start learning basic chakra control.”

“No way!” Senjumaru was in shock.

“Yeah! So every morning he has nearly a hundred clones working on everything from chakra control to his aim. We’ve only been training a month and he’s already working on tree walking.”

“Gods. That kid will be a force to be reckoned with!”

“I know! I can’t wait to have him start his sword training! I’ve never had such raw potential to mold before! I’m actually excited!” Retsu had a giddy smile on her face that bordered on creepy.

“Don’t get too excited. He is just a kid.”

“I’m not going to go overboard. But that’s up to him. He’s the one who likes to take it to the extreme.”

“I bet.”

“I found one.” Naruto came to the counter with a training kunai set.

“Alright. We’ll get this.”

“Alright. See you in a week!”

———

The Hokage was silent as Naruto and Retsu stood in front of him. The blond child had a hopeful look while the woman had a look that said she tried to talk him out of it, but he was adamant about it.

“So let me get this straight… You want me to put resistance seals on you?”

“Yes.” Naruto said.

“Why?”

“Because I need to be faster. I can’t do it myself yet since my handwriting is still bad.”

“… You’ve been studying sealing?”

“Yeah!”

“I see. Naruto, I can’t really condone this.”

“Come on! My training has been going well so far! I’ve been using training weights on my arms and legs but that’s not really enough for my speed. I need resistance seals for that.”

“You don’t think you’re a little young for that?”

“The book didn’t say resistance seals would stunt my growth, only that gravity seals would.”

‘He has me there.’ The Hokage thought.

“Fine. I’ll put them on you after I finish work today. But you know it’s going to be really hard to move.”

“If it’s not a challenge, what’s the point?”

Hiruzen didn’t say anything to this, but he marveled at how much Naruto had changed in the few months he’d been in Retsu’s care.

“Well, I’ll see you both later.”

It took Naruto a few days to get used to moving with the resistance seals on, and a few more to realize he had to constantly channel chakra to move like normal.

———

The next few months were grueling. He was constantly training and constantly tired, but he enjoyed it. He liked being with Retsu and talking with Senjumaru and learning about weapons from Echo. He thought some of the stuff Retsu told him was weird, but he took it to heart because he understood she was just trying to make sure he didn’t die out on a mission.

They spent a lot of time together outside of training as well. She often helped him with his garden or just with studying. When it was time for him to start the academy, she was there to see him off with a smile.

The kids in class hardly recognized Naruto when he stepped into the room. Instead of blasting into the room with an explosion of loud noises and orange, he was rather subdued. He wore a dark orange shirt and black pants. He had his replica of the Sewing Needle hanging at his side and an impassive look on his face.

The Hokage’s advice and a little over a year of training with Retsu had made the boy seem a different person. He was quiet and calm, but somehow always seemed prepared. In truth, dealing with the constant harassment of the village made him more cautious, and he only acted out for attention. With Retsu being with him, he wasn’t as lonely and felt no need to draw others attention to him.

“Hello. I’m Naruto Uzumaki. I enjoy gardening, sewing, and swordsmanship. I hope we can get along.” Was his introduction to the class. Of course, most of the kids avoided him as per their parents express orders.

He became friends with Shino, A boy with spikey black hair who wore glasses and hid his face with the collar of his jacket, and Shikamaru Nara, The resident class genius/slacker. Well, friends was a bit of an overstatement. They generally got along because of their quiet nature, but outside of being near each other during free time and having the occasional conversation, they rarely interacted.

There were very few incidents where Naruto did anything to get into trouble, but teachers usually went out of there way to punish him. The only one of note was when someone made fun of his sword.

“What is that?!” A boy with red fang marks on cheeks laughed, pointing to Naruto’s sword. “Is your mom so fat you need a giant sewing needle to make clothes for her?!” He guffawed.

His laughter was quickly stopped as Naruto drew the sword and the boy was stitched, upside down, to a nearby tree by his clothing. He got sent to the Hokage for this incident, but no one made fun of his sword again after that.

During breaks or lunch the blond boy could often be found with Shikamaru, Shino, and Choji, who was rarely ever away from Shikamaru. He was usually found reading a book of some sort. More often than not he was reading a sealing book. Sometimes he would show up with a book on swordsmanship or gardening. A few times he’d even show up with something as random as cooking or dancing or music. To say the boy was an enigma to the other children would be an understatement.

The other kids often called Naruto a prodigy or genius. He always told them he wasn’t. That he was the result of hundreds of hours of hard work after school. They never listened, thinking he was trying to be modest. The idea that anyone their age would spend the amount of time required to be as good as him was just plain dumb to them.

Sometimes you have to let people be wrong about you. You may not like it, but you can’t change how people choose to see you.

That was what she told him when he explained the situation to her. He never brought it up to her again.

The teachers didn’t like Naruto to say the least. They were all there when the Fox attacked and resented the boy. Especially because he did so well in class. They often found nonsense reasons to punish him and send him out such as outdoing clan heirs, even managing to get him suspended a few times, but he was always ahead of them in terms of knowledge. That is to say, he knew what they were teaching the other students even when he wasn’t in school. They couldn’t figure out what had led to this, but figured someone must have been training him. It pissed them off to no end, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Except for Iruka Umino. He was a dark skinned chunin instructor at the academy with a long scar across his nose. His parents were killed in the fox attack and while he was resentful of Naruto, he couldn’t bring himself to hate the boy after getting to know him. The young blond was so respectful and just wanted to get along with others. The other villagers saw it as a trick of the fox, but Iruka knew better. He was just like the Naruto that used to pull pranks when his parents had died. He could understand the boy. While he didn’t understand what brought about the change, he did appreciate that he wasn’t letting all the hate get to him.

———

Naruto was excited. It was finally time for graduation and that meant he was going to get a present from Retsu. He passed every other test with flying colors, so he didn’t see why this would be any different. He waited his turn as students walked in and out, some happy some sad. When it was finally his turn he stepped into the room.

“Alright, Naruto. The test is simple. Just make a clone.”

Naruto nodded and did as he was asked. Several shadow clones appeared next to him and Iruka was stunned. He could tell the difference.

“A-alright… You pass.”

“Thank you.” Naruto bowed slightly before receiving his headband and leaving.

Once he was outside Retsu’s squeal of delight nearly deafened the parents there to pick up their kids.

“I’m so proud of you!” She hugged him.

“Thanks!” He smiled. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.” He said.

“You’re the one that worked so hard! I just made sure you did everything right.”

“Still. Thank you for everything.” He said.

“Come on! I’ve got a surprise for you!” She said in a sing song voice.

As they left the school the whispers and sneers of the parents of the other kids talking about Naruto pulled a look of disgust to Retsu’s face. How dare they talk about this child like he isn’t the most hard working person in that class? Like he didn’t suffer and give it his all and pay for everything he had in blood, sweat, and tears, unlike their children who couldn’t hold a candle to him? Half of them weren’t even from clans.

She was about to say something when Naruto stopped her. He gave her a look that said he just wanted to go. She sighed and nodded before they walked away.

When they got to Kujaku the sound of a bottle popping accompanied the door opening.

“Congratulations!” Senjumaru said happily.

“Wow.” Retsu and Naruto said.

“In honor of our blond graduating the academy I propose a toast! To a long ninja career!” She poured everyone a glass.

“I’m not old enough to drink.” Naruto said.

“You’re officially a ninja now. In every county except ours you’re allowed to drink when you become a ninja. Besides, one glass won’t hurt.”

“I don’t like you encouraging him to drink.” Retsu said.

“And I don’t like that the civilian council has so much control over a ninja village, but we don’t always have to like things.” Senjumaru said.

Naruto sighed and grabbed the glass. “To a long career.” He said before downing the drink with a shiver and sneer. The adults followed suit minus the obvious disgust at the taste.

“Alright, now are you ready for your surprise?” Senjumaru asked.

“Yeah!” Naruto smiled.

“Echo, get the thing!”

Echo disappeared into the back and came out a few second later with something covered in a long white cloth. He set it on the counter and and unwrapped it.

It was a long, thin, completely black blade with a black rectangular hilt that blended seamlessly into the blade and had a small hole at the very end of it.

“What do you think?” Retsu asked.

“It… It’s beautiful… Can I pick it up?”

“Of course. She’s yours.”

“Mine?”

“Yeah. You got really good with your training sword really quick, so I asked Echo to make you a custom sword. All yours.”

Naruto picked up the sword and was shocked at how perfect it felt in his hands. Like it was made for him. It was made for him, he realized. He took a few small test swings and looked at them with the most expressive eyes any of them had seen on him in months.

“I love it.” He said.

“What do you want to name her?” Senjumaru asked.

“Name?”

“Yeah. Every sword needs a name. Mine is named Minazuki. What do you want to call yours?” Retsu explained.

A few names ran through Naruto’s head. He liked all of them, but he settled on something simple.

“Silk.”

Echo gave him a smirk and a nod, signaling he liked the name.

“Well, you’ve got the creators approval, so there you go. Silk is your partner from now on. Make sure to take good care of her.” Retsu said.

“I will… But what about this?” He held up his replica.

“It’s a training replica. You can do what you want with it. It’s not fit for actual combat.” Senjumaru said.

“Actually, Echo is so good he used it in a combat situation once.” Retsu commented.

“Wait, what?” The shop keepers looked at Retsu.

“Did I not tell you guys? Someone made fun of his sword so he stitched him to a tree upside down.”

Senjumaru and Echo started laughing at this, the latter dropping to the floor.

“Oh gods, that’s hilarious. What did he say?” Senjumaru asked.

“He asked if my mom was so fat I needed a giant needle to make her clothes. So I stitched him to a tree. No one made fun of it after that.” Naruto explained.

“That’s certainly one way to deal with bullies.” Retsu said.

“Yes. But enough about that. It’s time for my gift!” Senjumaru said in a sing song voice.

She made her way to the back before coming out with a bit of fanfare. She put a set of clothes on the counter and Naruto looked at them.

“Woah! This is so cool! These are for me?” He asked.

“Yep! Custom made for my favorite blond! A mix of your favorite swordsman and your favorite color!”

“I love it!”

“I knew you would! Go put it on!”

Naruto grabbed the clothes and rushed to the changing rooms. When he came back everyone looked impressed.

He wore a black sleeveless shirt and pants with orange wraps up to his elbows and hanging loosely from his neck, along with grey leg warmers. The clothes hung slightly off of his lean frame, but weren’t baggy. He’d long since abandoned the gloves once he got used to handling ninja wire. He still managed to cut his hands here and there, but over all it was a rare occurrence.

“Wow. Give it a few years and you’ll be a real lady killer.” Senjumaru said.

Echo hit her.

“I don’t think that was creepy. It was a compliment.”

“Thanks.” Naruto said.

“Oh, but let’s fix your head band. That blue doesn’t work.” She took it and grabbed a few needles and some black cloth. Naruto had never seen the woman work before, so he was in awe at the speed and finesse she used to masterfully replace the blue cloth of his headband with a vermilion colored one. “And done!” She said with a smile before retying it.

“Now that’s a ninja if I’ve ever seen one.” Retsu said with a look of pride on her face.

“The clothes are made of the toughest and lightest materials I could get my hands on. You could get stabbed and they won’t tear. You’ll definitely bruise a bit, maybe even get nicked, but the damage with be minimal to you and the clothes. The wraps are reversibly so you can make them black for stealth missions. And Echo wanted me to say the blade is special. The blades of the Seven Swordsman are all made a certain way that he can’t replicate, but he can get a similar result and was able to make it with a ‘Soul’. The more you use her the more acquainted you’ll become with one another and the more combat effective you’ll be. She’s going to be really hard to destroy if not impossible just like the actual swords, and you can channel your chakra into her if you want.”

“Thank you both. I love these!”

“You’re welcome! Just make sure you do business here exclusively. Oh, that’s another thing!” Senjumaru reached under the counter to pull out a card like the one Retsu had. “Since you’re now a ninja, you’re officially a member of Kujaku. You can come by anytime!”

“Thank you!”

“Alright, that’s enough. You guys close up so we can go to dinner!” Retsu said.

——

Naruto had been on his way home, separating from his mentor and friends since they lived in different directions, when he noticed someone running along the rooftops. Normally this wouldn’t be out of place, except it was Mizuki, one of the academy instructors, and he had a malicious look on his face.

Naruto took off after him, following him to wherever he was going and making sure to keep out of sight. Years of practice had made him good at hiding.

After nearly half an hour of hopping from roof tops they entered the forest. Another half hour through trees and Mizuki stopped.

“That’s enough! I know you’re following me!” He said from the middle of the clearing he was in. Naruto was about to reveal himself when Iruka stepped from behind a tree.

“Return the scroll Mizuki.”

“Ha! Or what?”

“Or I’ll take it back by force!”

“Like you could stop me! You don’t have what it takes!”

Iruka launched a volley of shuriken at the purple haired man, but they were all dodged. Mizuki was right. Iruka didn’t stand much of a chance against him. After less than a minute he stood over the bloodied Iruka.

“Why… Are you doing this?”

“Because the old man never had what it takes. He’s too soft. Orochimaru should have been Hokage.”

“No!” Iruka said.

“Yes! If he was you wouldn’t have lost your parents!”

“You don’t know that!”

“I do! Lord Orochimaru would never have allowed that attack to take place! He would never have allowed the demon to run around the village like it were a human!”

“Naruto’s just a kid!”

“Don’t you hate him? He killed your parents?! You’re too soft on that monster!”

“Naruto isn’t the fox!”

“Whatever you say, idiot.” Mizuki started his final blow, but Naruto stepped in.

“That’s enough of that.” He said as he stitched Mizuki to a nearby tree not bothering to avoid piercing the mans flesh. The man was in obvious pain, but Naruto paid no mind to it. He’d learned early how brutal the style was, but didn’t care.

“Naruto!” Iruka said.

“Hey.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I saw that traitor running around and decided to follow. Doesn’t matter. Let’s get you back to the village.” Naruto made some clones and transported everyone back.

Mizuki was imprisoned for treason, while Naruto and Iruka got commendations.

——

There was a week of free time for students before they were assigned a team and Naruto didn’t know what to do with himself. Retsu put him on forced rest and relaxation, which meant if he was caught doing any kind of training she would drop kick him from the top of the Hokage Monument. Needless to say he didn’t plan on doing any training. But now he was bored. He now had access to the ninja section of the library, but he’d read a large portion of those books already.

This left him with few options. He already had shadow clones learning cooking and some were tending to his garden. He could learn medical jutsu or… An idea popped into his head.

The Aburame and Inuzuka compounds weren’t particularly large. In fact, the only compound that could be considered big since the Uchiha massacre was the Hyuga compound. Everyone else kept theirs at a rather modest size.

He walked to the Aburame compound and knocked on the door, or gate rather. It swung open and he was greeted by two guards.

“Hello. I’d like to learn about bugs!” He said with a smile.

The two looked at him, then at each other, then back it him. They shrugged and waved him in.

The Inuzuka compound ran a bit differently. You had to get through the Alpha if you wanted to get anything done there. So the first person you met when you tried to get in was Tsume Inuzuka, a ferocious beast of a woman. She was crass and violent and spoke her mind without a filter and acted how you would expect men of her position to act. Needless to say she was someone Naruto didn’t have a problem with. She reflected a lot of the things Retsu had instilled in him.

“What do you want?” She asked when he came to the clinic.

“I’d like to learn about dogs.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have anything better to do for the week. My master put me on forced rest. If she catches me training she will, and I quote “Drop kick me off the Hokage Monument”. And I’ve been interested in learning about this stuff, so I figured this was the place to be.”

“Least you’re honest. What if I tell you to fuck off?”

“I’ll come back when your daughter’s working and ask her.”

“I’m the Alpha. You’d need my permission.”

“If you didn’t know it wouldn’t matter.”

“What if I smelled you on her?”

“Wouldn’t be my problem.”

“Fair enough. I’m not teaching you anything from scratch. Just watch how I do things and stay out of the way.”

“Yes Miss.”

“One more question. Did you really stitch my son to a tree in less than ten seconds?”

“Five. And he made fun of my sword.”

“Alright then.”

At the end of the week he’d actually learned a lot about both bugs and dogs, but spiders in particular. He’d had a passing interest in them as a kid, but learning more about them and all the intricate and varied webs they spun had him more obsessed. It got the ideas turning in his head.

——

“Naruto!” Hiruzen said as Naruto walked into the room, “I’m glad to see you.”

“You as well.” Naruto smiled.

The old man still hadn’t really gotten used to Naruto’s new subdued personality.

“I take it you’ve gotten used to those resistance seals?”

“I can move normally without chakra on level twenty now. I think that’s pretty good progress for about six years.”

“Especially for your age.” Hiruzen said. “Well, this meeting is going to be short. Your ID card is in order, so there isn’t really much more to say. However now that you are a ninja, there are some inheritance issues we need to speak about.”

The door suddenly shot open and a kid in a yellow shirt with gray shorts and matching cap with a long scarf burst into the door.

“I’ll defeat you and become Hokage!” He shouted before abruptly tripping over nothing and falling flat on his face.

Naruto cocked his head to the side and blinked. For a second he thought it was some elaborate prank. The Hokage just sighed.

“Ow! What tripped me?” The boy asked.

A man in sunglasses and a dark blue outfit came in quickly after. “Are you okay honorable grandson? Also, there was nothing to trip on.”

“It was you! You tripped me!” He marched up to Naruto.

“No,” Naruto said calmly, “You fell because you’re clumsy.”

“Stop lying!”

“I don’t lie.” Naruto said.

“Do to!”

“Listen here, brat, I am not a liar!” Naruto snapped, picking the boy up.

“Put down the honorable grandson of the honorable Third Hokage this instant!” The man shouted.

“You have a grandson?” Naruto looked at the Third.

“Indeed. His name is Konohamaru.”

“Huh.” Naruto looked at the boy in slight confusion.

“Yeah, you won’t hit me now will you?”

“Oh, I would never!” Naruto said in an over exaggerated tone. “I’m going to do something much worse!” An evil grin flashed across his face as he grabbed Silk. In the blink of an eye Konohamaru was wrapped in his scarf like a cocoon and hanging upside down from the ceiling.

Hiruzen looked impressed. ‘I still don’t know how he does it.’

——

Naruto showed up to class early with a sealing book in his hands. He’d gotten really good at it over the year he was learning it. Since he couldn’t travel, he couldn’t really call himself a Journeyman, but he was making his own seals. In fact, most of his larger items were kept in the storage seals he made. The ink and scrolls were a lot cheaper than the over priced shoddily made storage seals found at most of the stores that had them.

He’d always heard Retsu and Senjumaru complain about the shops in town, but he didn’t really understand until he needed to buy high quality items. The commercial shops were all civilian run and sold garbage compared to the stores he went to. He saw his fellow students buying from those shops and didn’t understand how they got by with such sub par equipment.

He sat down towards the back of the room and read while the other students filed into the classroom. He didn’t pay them very much attention as he was engrossed in his book. It was one of the higher level sealing books written by his father, Minato Namikaze.

“Alright class. This is all of you that passed the test. You’ll be sorted into groups of three and assigned a Jonin instructor.” Iruka said from the front of the class.

Naruto was hardly listening until he heard his name.

“Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno. You will be Team 7 led by Kakashi Hatake.”

The three moved and Naruto sat at the end of the desk with Sakura in the middle and Sasuke on the opposite side. Sakura had long pink hair and wore a red Chinese style dress with white outlines and blue shorts. Sasuke had black hair and wore a blue shirt with the Uchiha emblem on the back and blue shorts.

Naruto never interacted with them much. Sasuke didn’t interact with anyone in general. Not since the Uchiha massacre. Not that Naruto could blame him. He had took a fake-it-till-you-make-it approach to his loneliness, but Retsu had quickly did away with that.

Ninja operate on dishonesty. It’s part of the job description. A major role in the trade. But there are forms of dishonesty that you just shouldn’t partake in as a person. Don’t put up a happy front so people think there’s nothing wrong. Don’t be something you’re not. Just be yourself. Don’t lie to yourself and say everything is okay. It’s not good to keep those emotions in. It can cause serious damage.

He could appreciate Sasuke not handling it the way he had been, but this was the other extreme. Shutting everything out completely. Which was just as bad. He was talented, sure, but his mentality would likely hold him back.

Sakura was a Sasuke fan girl. Most of the girls in the class were. He thought it was weird they all saw him as some brooding broken bad boy they could fix. He had no idea he felt just as disgusted with the mentality as Sasuke himself was. The pink haired girl had a tendency to be loud, but he didn’t really pay much attention to it. What he did think was that while she was smart, she had trouble seeing the bigger picture sometimes and had almost no practical skills to speak of. Sure she could do the academy basics, but the academy basics might as well have been what six year olds were doing.

“Alright, that’s it. Your Jonin instructor should be here to pick you up soon.” Iruka said before leaving.

Team 7 watched as the other one by one the other teams were quickly picked up by their instructors. Sakura grew more and more annoyed as time went on while neither Naruto nor Sasuke said anything.

“Ugh! Where is he?!” Sakura groaned. “He should have been here hours ago! Aren’t either of you annoyed?”

“Hm.” Was all she got out of Sasuke.

“I don’t believe in complaining.” Naruto said.

Sakura groaned and fell back in the desk she’d moved to at some point.

Sasuke was still staring off into space while Naruto had finished his initial book and was now reading one on spiders he’d gotten from the Aburame. He actually wanted to learn about spiders specifically because of his weapon and he was not disappointed. He’d gotten more than a few ideas from the book.

“Oh!” Sakura shot up, “Let’s pull a prank on our teacher!”

“Whatever floats your boat.” Naruto said.

Sakura sighed, but got up. She put an eraser over the door so it would fall on whoever walked in.

The prank was a success as not but a few minutes later a man with silver spiked hair and a mask over the bottom half of his face while his head band covered his left eye entered the room. The eraser fell with a solid thump on his head and he sighed.

“I get the feeling I don’t like any of you.” He said.

Naruto and Sasuke hummed at this while Sakura was completely intimidated.

“Meet me on the roof in five.”

The group walked up to the roof and ended up with Kakashi standing and the kids sitting down. Naruto put his book inside a storage seal he’d placed on his hand, surprising Kakashi.

“Alright. I’m your Jonin instructor from now on. We’ll start with Introductions. I want you to tell me your name, likes, dislikes, and hopes for the future. I’ll start. I’m Kakashi Hatake. Likes… I don’t really feel like telling you. Dislikes either. Hobbies… I have them. Hopes for the future… Never thought about it. Let’s start with you on the right.” He nodded to Sasuke.

“Sasuke Uchiha. I like almost nothing and dislike almost everything. My hope for the future, my ambition, is to kill a certain man and resurrect my clan.”

‘About what I expected, unfortunately.’ Kakashi thought.

“Sakura Haruno. I like… Or rather the person I like is…” She glanced over at Sasuke. “I dislike… Other girls getting in my way. My hope for the future is to…” She looked at Sasuke again and blushed.

‘A fan girl. Great.’

“Naruto Uzumaki. I like training, gardening, sewing, and the sword. I dislike dishonesty, ignorance, and most people. As for my hopes… I wish to surpass my parents.”

This surprised Kakashi greatly, though he didn’t show it.

“I see.” Was all Kakashi could say. “And the sword?”

“Oh.” Naruto smirked. “That’s just a bit of personal flair. My master is a swordswoman and she got me interested. She had me reading up on historical swordsman and I kind of fell in love with one of the last generation of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist.”

“The Seven Swordsman of the Mist?” Sakura echoed.

“Yes. They’re an elite squad of seven ninja swordsman. Each sword is unique and has it’s own special property.”

“Which one did you fall for?”

Naruto flashed a mischievous grin. “You’ll find out soon.”

Kakashi took that as his cue. “Alright, with that out of the way, tomorrow we’ll be having a test. Show up to training ground seven at seven. And I don’t recommend eating breakfast. You might puke it up.” Kakashi said before disappearing.

“Sasuke, want to go on a date?”

“No.” He said getting up and walking away.

The pink haired girl sighed. No matter how much she asked, he always rejected her. It helped that he never seemed interested in any of the other girls either, but her she didn’t think her self esteem could take much more rejection. She was snapped out of her thoughts by a low groan and looked over to see Naruto stretching.

“Well, see you tomorrow.” He said as he started to leave.

Feeling a bit down and not really wanting to be alone, Sakura did something she never thought she’d do: Ask Naruto about himself.

“What are you about to do?”

Naruto was actually floored by the question. It didn’t show on his face, but he was surprised she’d asked.

“I’m finally allowed to train again, so I’m going to meet up with my master. We’re probably not going to do much training today, but it will be nice to get something more productive done than sit in the dog clinics all day. Though I did learn a lot.” Naruto commented mostly to himself.

“What does that mean?”

“Which part?”

“The first part?”

“She made me take a break last week. I wasn’t allowed to train, so I just spent the week learning about dogs with the Inuzuka.”

She actually understood less about the boy than before. You’re forced to take a break and choose to spend the time learning? He was completely different from the kid that would run around playing pranks just a few years before.

“Okay then.” She said.

“Well, if that’s it, I should get going.” Naruto said before taking off.

“What a weirdo.” Sakura said once she was alone.

“So, how’s the new team” Retsu asked.

“Fine. I’m on a team with the last Uchiha and one of his fan girls, Sakura.”

“That’s got to be fun. Speaking of girls…” 

“Please don’t.”

Retsu often liked to tease Naruto about his lack of interest in girls at the academy. She would poke and prod and ask all sorts of nonsensical questions when she did.

“Is she cute?”

“Like a puppy with two legs.”

“So in a pitiful way.”

“Yes. You can’t help but feel sad for how much she gets rejected. But it’s none of my business. What are we doing today?”

“Nothing.”

“I thought as much.”

“We’re going to be meditating while your clones work. But first, who’s your teacher?”

“Kakashi Hatake.”

“Old white hair, huh? Pro tip on that guy, he loves his porn more than anything, and he’s always at least three hours late to everything except direct orders from the Hokage. At least, that’s the front he puts up. I don’t doubt he loves his porn, but I can tell there’s more to him than he lets on.”

“I got that impression as well. Thanks for that bit about him being late. He told us to show up at training ground seven at seven in the morning and not to eat. Which means he won’t be there till at least ten.”

“Yep. So are there really no guys you’re interested in?”

“I’m not doing this with you.”

——

Naruto got up at his usual time of six and went for a morning run around the village. He actually smirked when he saw his teammates walking into the training ground on time. He finished his run and came home to a hot shower that finished to a hot breakfast. His cooking skills had grown exponentially in the past week because he couldn’t train. At least he had that to be glad for. He got a bit of reading done before heading to the meeting spot.

He was greeted by a passively annoyed Sasuke and an Infuriated Sakura.

“You’re late!” She shouted at him as he absentmindedly played with the steel wire stretched between his fingers.

“No I’m not.” Naruto said calmly as he made a cradle shape.

“Kakashi said to be here at seven and it’s nine-thirty!”

“Is Kakashi here?” Naruto asked impassively.

“Well… No…” She said.

“Then I’m not late.”

She opened her mouth to refute but shut it when she couldn’t find the words. She instead settled for glaring at him for a few seconds before stomping away.

Naruto had discovered something in his training that he rather enjoyed. When he made a clone of himself, all of his weapons got clones as well. This meant that he was able to get more creative with his weapon. More than that, he could dispel the clones and the wire would remain, meaning he had limitless potential for set ups. And that’s what he was doing. While his teammates sat idly he had clones moving through the trees setting up traps for their teacher.

As the time for Kakashi to arrive approached, Naruto decided to meditate with his blade in hand. There was no better way to get to know your sword than meditation. Senjumaru hadn’t been kidding when she said the blade had a soul. He could feel life flowing from the blade as he sat still.

His eyes snapped open and he stood mere seconds before Kakashi showed up.

“You’re late!” Sakura shouted.

“Ah, sorry. A black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way around.” He said with sly eye smile. This got a quick spike of laughter from Naruto. “Someone appreciates me.” He said.

“So what are we doing today?” Naruto asked.

“Today we are doing the bell test. The goal is to get one of these bells away from me. Whoever doesn’t get a bell fails.” Kakashi explained, holding up a pair of bells.

“What does failing entail?” Sasuke asked.

“I’m glad you asked, Sasuke! Should you fail to get a bell from me two things happen. The first is that you don’t get lunch,” Sasuke and Sakura’s stomachs growled. Kakashi eyed Naruto, who just shrugged at him.

“So that’s why…” Sakura said in realization.

“The other is that you have to spend another year at the academy.”

Even Naruto was shocked at that.

“You have until noon.”

“That’s only two hours!” Sakura shouted.

“Then you better get to it. And remember, you won’t get anything done unless you aim to kill. Start!” Kakashi said, looking down at his book.

Sakura threw down a smoke bomb. When it cleared only Naruto was standing there.

“Well you’re certainly not getting any points for stealth.”

“Says you.” Naruto scoffed.

Kakashi wasn’t quite sure what that meant. He had a few ideas, but he couldn’t be sure.

“Aren’t you going to come after me?”

“I don’t think so. I don’t really consider myself much of an initiator.”

“Then I’ll start.”

Kakashi dashed forward but stopped short when Naruto’s finger twitched. There was a small smirk on Naruto’s face. Kakashi took a closer look and saw and intricate pattern of wire crossing in front of him.

“I didn’t think I would get you that easily, but it was worth a shot.”

“When did you set this up?”

“You really shouldn’t give your opponents hours of prep time.” Naruto said.

“Or focus on one opponent so long.” Sakura said as she threw kunai from the trees. Kakashi batted them away, but he was still surprised by the sudden attack. Just as quickly he suddenly had Sasuke throwing a vicious but thought out flurry of blows at him.

The Jonin positioned Sasuke between himself and Sakura and, like he thought, she stopped her throws.

‘Wow. Teamwork. Now if only Naruto would-.’ The thought came too soon as he heard the tell-tale sound of sliding wires. He looked back and realized Sasuke had been guiding him toward the wall. That’s what he gets for underestimating them.

Naruto pulled his fingers back and the wall moved to wrap around him. Before the trap became lethal he used a substitution, but a faint sound caught his ears.

“Naruto! You could have killed him!” Sakura shouted.

“He said aim to kill. Besides, we got the bells.” Naruto said.

That’s what it was. He must have positioned the wires to cut the bells before he could substitute. Clever.

“Clever, Naruto. But what now? You only have two bells, which means only two of you can pass.”

“Yeah, yeah, They can have them.” Naruto said, tossing his teammates the bells.

Sasuke looked confused and ready to protest and Sasuke looked like she was the happiest girl on the planet, but before either could say anything Kakashi spoke up.

“Then you pass! Congratulations.”

“Yes!” Sakura and Sasuke cried, the former doing a small victory dance.

“From now on we’re Team seven. That’s going to take a while to get used to. We’ll meet here tomorrow for training and missions. Naruto, I’d like to speak with you privately for a moment.”

The other two were a little surprised, but left them to speak.

“What did you want to talk about?” Naruto asked.

“You know who your parents are?”

“I learned about it when I was seven. Along with some other details.” Kakashi nodded at this, “And this led to me getting special tutoring from someone.”

“But five years doesn’t explain why you’re a chunin level ninja.”

“Shadow clones.”

“Oh… Wait, what?”

“My chakra reserves are huge. My master convinced the Hokage to teach me shadow clones as a kid so I could work backwards with my chakra control.”

“Oh. And the Swordsman you modeled yourself after?”

“Kushimaru Kuriarare. I thought I’d have to do a lot more fighting than I did. I’m lucky you didn’t substitute earlier or We’d have to use the traps in the woods.”

“There are more traps?”

“A lot more.”

“I really should have read the academy reports.” Kakashi sighed.

“A question for you. Why am I on this team?”

“Huh?”

“Why am I on this team? Sasuke and Sakura got rookie of the year for their gender. Sasuke beat me out due to favoritism. I’m not really bitter because I don’t care, but I’m curious about why I’m on this team. Usually the third slot with the best two students would got to the worst student.”

“I’m surprised you know that. There are a lot of circumstances when it comes to you and Sasuke. For one thing, he’s the heir to the Uchiha and loved by most everyone. The council, I mean civilian one, wanted him to be well looked after. And I’m the last loyal Leaf Ninja with a Sharingan, so he went to me. As for you…”

“Either you or the Hokage wanted me on this team.” Naruto finished.

“Yeah. Sakura is just kind of here because of her grades.”

“Makes sense.”

“If that’s all, see you tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

Kakashi was gone in a puff of smoke and Naruto followed soon after, heading toward the Hokage tower. He had a meeting to attend about inheritance.

“Naruto.” The old Hokage said as the boy walked into his office, “How was Kakashi’s test?”

“We got the bells. I managed to convince my teammates with a bit of manipulation. Told Sasuke I’d be his teammate if we got the bells and told Sakura I’d let her be teammates with Sasuke. Worked like a charm.”

Hiruzen blanched at this. “You shouldn’t manipulate your teammates like that.”

“They aren’t the type to listen to pure reason and I was not going back to the academy.”

“Fair enough. Then, on to the reason I’ve set up this meeting. Since you’re officially a ninja now, you get your inheritance. It’s not much in terms of material gain, but your parents did have quite a bit of money saved up that’s yours now.”

“That’s good to hear. Retsu bought the things I couldn’t grow myself and I’ve wanted to pay her back for it. She would never accept money though.”

“She wouldn’t. It was a gift and she cares for you deeply, however roundabout she might be. You also got a house.”

“I own property now?”

“Yes. As of today you are a homeowner. It’s quite interesting that Retsu took an interest in you, because your mother was quite the sword master as well. This has everything you’ll need to find her storage unit and the building. Also…” The old man got up and walked over to a picture, pulling it down and opening up a safe that was hidden behind it. “This was your fathers special kunai. What he used to channel the Flying Raijin technique. It’s yours now. As well as the scrolls on how to use it. Normally it would take an entire group of people to channel such a jutsu, but you are your fathers son. Any other scrolls from your parents personal libraries should either be at the house, or in that storage unit I mentioned.”

Naruto held the three pronged kunai in his hands and looked at the seal on it. So that was it. The Flying Raijin was channeled through a special sealing formula.

“Thank you.” He said.

“Of course. I’ll make sure to stop by with a house warming gift in the next few days.” He smiled.

———

The place was way too big for one person, but he didn’t really mind. There was an attic, a basement, two floors, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a separate office and library, which technically made it a six rooms, but they weren’t meant for habitation, and a nice sized back yard. He was glad for the office and library, but was annoyed that they were separate. He had to keep going back and forth between the two rooms for books before he’d decided that he’d just put a desk in the Library and use the office for something else.

The neighborhood wasn’t bad as well. It was mostly ninja from what he could tell. His building was sandwiched between an apartment and a house that he would often notice a woman with long purple hair go in and out of. He figured he should probably introduce himself to at least her at some point, but figured she was busy from the ANBU tattoo he saw on her shoulder.

He immediately got all of his mothers equipment out of storage and… there was a lot of it. Swords and blades of every shape and size, in addition to scrolls and books full of technique and jutsu specific to swords. Turns out she was also a bit of a Seven Swordsman fanatic, favoring the Fang swords. He had his clones move everything to his new home and remodeled the basement into a dojo.

He wanted to start work on deconstructing the Flying Raijin seal, but between his training with Retsu, going through his mothers things, and doing missions, he hardly had the time. He would’ve added training with Kakashi into this, but they hardly did anything. They didn’t work on any of the stuff even the academy had them working on. It was just the absolute basics they needed to survive. Formations, missions, a few teamwork exercises, maybe a bit of sparring, then that was it. If he wasn’t training with Retsu he would be learning nothing. Well, that wasn’t true. With the Resistance seals he was always getting faster. Having recently gotten used to moving without chakra on level 22 he figured it was about time to move it up.

Naruto couldn’t help but laugh as he thought about his team. He took a quick glance at them as they walked down the road. They were the most dysfunctional of all the genin teams. Sasuke had a major superiority complex, and Sakura had no mind of her own. He had figured them out quite easily and had started manipulating them to get some form of function going. Just turn everything into a challenge or question his skill and Sasuke would do anything. Especially if he thought it was his idea. Sakura would do anything she thought was for Sasuke’s benefit and so Naruto had been steadily guiding her towards medical jutsu.

Kakashi didn’t agree with any of this, he actually seemed quite upset with Naruto for it, but he never took an active effort to try and stop it. Naruto didn’t really care. He had other things on his mind besides his teammates, but that didn’t mean he wanted them at each other’s throats all the time. He would do what he could to avoid that and it seemed to be working so far.

“Is he alright?” The old man they were escorting asked Sakura.

“Yeah. Naruto’s just like that.” She said. There wasn’t really much else to say about him. No one really knew much about the boy. She frowned slightly as she remembered how open he’d been the one time she’d asked him about himself. There was a dawning realization that they knew nothing about him because no one ever bothered to ask. This was stopped when Tazuna asked another question.

“Alright. I just want to make sure you guys can protect me.”

“Oh, we-.” Sakura was about to say they could, glancing at Sasuke, but Kakashi interrupted.

“I assure you my genin can protect you from any group of bandits, all we’re likely to see on a C-rank.”

The question answered, Sakura slipped into her fantasies of the black haired boy walking in front of her and their client. Naruto was behind them and Kakashi was behind him. Due to the low rank of the mission, they were in a more lax formation.

It was while they were walking they came across a puddle in the middle of the road. They all walked over it with no problem until Kakashi. The second he got close two men in mask with gauntlets popped from the puddle, wrapping him in the chain made of shuriken that connected their gauntlets, before slicing him into three bloody chunks.

Sakura was frozen in place as she watched the display take place.

They moved at Naruto for a repeat performance, but he exploded into razor sharp wire. They managed to get away with minimal damage, but minimal damage meant they had a lot of cuts, some of them deep. Wire bombs never failed.

“Now!” Naruto shouted.

Sasuke emerged from the trees tossing kunai at the man with the gauntlet on his left while Naruto took the other one.

Sasuke dodged and weaved through the mans obviously poisoned gauntlet attacks and retaliated with a vicious flurry of attacks that the man wasn’t ready for. Meizu tried to throw a punch, but he was unsteady and over extended. Sasuke slid under him and grabbed his arm, twisting it up and slamming him to the ground, breaking the appendage.

Naruto’s fight was a bit quicker. The man was obviously out for blood. Naruto dodged an attack and kicked him in the stomach, backing him into a tree. With a growl Gozu reached out and crushed Naruto’s head only for the boy to explode into a puff of smoke. Using the clones death as a smoke screen, Naruto dashed in and stitched him to the tree. There was wire sticking from all over his body as he wheezed in pain. Sakura was horrified, and so was Sasuke to a degree. It looked like it hurt. A lot.

“You two did well.” Kakashi said as he stepped from the trees, looking at his students. “What was that technique, Naruto?”

“Wire crucifixion. I used this on Kiba at school once, but I only stitched his clothes.”

“I remember that.” Sasuke said. “He was crying for an hour.”

“Yes, well, Good job.” Kakashi said again, ruffling his students hair. But you,” He turned to Tazuna, We’re going to have a long talk.”

It really couldn’t have turned out any other way. Sasuke saw it as a challenge and Sakura wasn’t going to let her terror over power her feelings for Sasuke. Kakashi’s entire thing was not abandoning friends, and he wasn’t about to leave Tazuna after that sob story. Naruto wanted to go too, though. He was interested in testing how far he’d come. He’d seen that the Demon Brothers, alone, weren’t anything to scoff at, just caught off guard and wounded from the wires. Had they gone into that fight perfectly healthy he still would have come out on top, just not as easily. He wanted to see where he stood outside the village. He was tired of being in a void of stronger than his teammates, but not strong enough to touch any of the Jonin. He didn’t know any chunin so couldn’t ask them to spar.

After the attack he’d been a lot more attentive about their surroundings, so when Kakashi yelled “Drop!” He was the first on the ground as a large sword came spinning over head.

“I recognize that sword!” Naruto nearly shouted with a mix of excitement and terror. “That’s the Executioners Blade! One of the Seven Swords of the Mist owned by Zabuza Momochi!” Naruto and Kakashi said the name in unison as the man appeared on the blade.

“Well, looks like the kid is a bit of a fanatic. Never thought I’d see a Leaf brat style himself after that monster Kushimaru. And then we have Copy-Cat Kakashi. That’s quite the kid you’ve got there.”

“Tell me about it.” Kakashi said.

“Hey! Can I get an autograph before Kakashi kills you?!” Naruto asked, causing everyone to face palm.

“That’s real presumptuous brat.”

“Yeah, but as cool as I think you guys were, we kind of can’t let you live. Which is why I wanted to ask now.”

“No, you can’t have a fucking autograph you little punk!”

Kakashi realized what was happening when Naruto made a slight motion for him to go and he did.

“Why not?!”

“Because-!” He was cut off by Kakashi trying to stab him. He dodged the blow and tried to retaliate but a kunai came streaming past him. “You cheeky fucking brat!” Zabuza glared at Naruto who shrugged sheepishly. The distraction earned Zabuza a cut across the chest.

With a grunt the shirtless man flipped his blade out of the tree with just his foot and caught it before taking a swing at Kakashi, who dodged.

Sasuke, wanted to rush in and help, but Naruto put his hand out.

“Don’t rush in. We can’t take on Zabuza. He’s far too strong for us to take alone. The best we can do is distract him with pot shots so Kakashi can get a better chance at winning.” Naruto said.

Sasuke fumed at this, but stopped as he knew the blond was right.

Sakura stayed close to Tazuna with her weapon out, but she was visibly shaking and her grip on the weapon was unsteady.

Naruto had taken his little fan boy act to prepare as well.He had wire traps set out in the forest in case they went that way. If not, he would help where he could.

“So I get to see the famous Sharingan. Lucky me. You know back in the Mist we had a special protocol for you. Kill on sight.”

“I can’t say the same for you. Guess you weren’t that important.” Kakashi said.

Zabuza glared and dashed after the man who ducked into the forest.

Kakashi noticed the thin wires everywhere and led Zabuza through them. Some of them worked, others were sliced through like paper. Lucky for the silver haired man the over sized sword was difficult to use in the trees.

“Enough!” Zabuza yelled, swinging at Kakashi. He couldn’t dodge, but managed to mitigate the blow. He was sent tumbling out of the trees and landed on water. “Looks like we’re on my turf now!” As Zabuza stepped from the trees there was a glint of metal and we was wrapped in wires that dug into his skin. It was a last second trap at an odd angle, so Naruto couldn’t make it lethal

“You’re finished.” Kakashi ran it him for a final blow, but two needles flew from the trees and knocked Zabuza unconscious as the genin ran over.

“Who are you?” Kakashi asked.

“Thank you for your assistance. I’ve been hunting this traitor for months.” The hunter ninja said.

“A hunter?” Naruto asked.

“Yes. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

“Wait, if you’re a hunter than-.” Naruto didn’t get to finish that sentence as Kakashi suddenly dropped. When he looked back up the two were gone.

——

The group had made it to their destination, but now their was the question of what to do until their teacher woke up.

“We have to do something.” Sasuke said, not one for just sitting around.

“Like what?” Sakura asked in a rare moment where logic beat out her obsession with the Uchiha.

“I don’t know. But you don’t think sitting here is the best option, right Naruto?”

“I think we need information.” Naruto said. “We’re in a foreign land against foreign ninja with no real clue on what to do next. The best first step would be to get our bearings.”

Sasuke nodded. The blond was right. The academy had greatly stressed the importance of getting information.

“I’ll do it!” Sakura raised her hand, wanting to not feel useless to her team.

“No. You’re our medic.If something happens to Kakashi, we’d need you here.” Naruto said. She lowed her hand and sat back, obviously saddened by the fact.

“I’ll do it then.” Sasuke said.

“Yeah, no. You’re built for fighting, not interacting with people. Besides, we need you here protecting Kakashi and Sakura.”

“And you are?” The Uchiha shot back.

A clone appeared next to Naruto dressed in an entirely different outfit and a bright look on his face instead of Naruto’s trademark neutrality.

“Sasuke right?” The clone asked with a smile. “And this beautiful flower must be Sakura.” He said with as he gently took her hand in his and winked. It took all Sakura all she had to not blush as she looked away.

“Why aren’t you like that all the time?” Sakura asked.

“Because it’s not who I am. I can send a few clones out to scout around and get the situation.” As he said that twelve clones appeared and transformed into random people before leaving the building.

“Did… Those clones just use chakra?” Sakura asked.

“Shadow clones. They’re special in that they’re solid and can use chakra as well as pass information to their user, which makes them good for scouting.” Naruto explained.

“Teach that to me.”

“I can’t. It’s technically forbidden. Even Jonin have trouble making more than ten at a time. It’s a problem with the massive chakra drain. It would actually kill Sakura if she tried it and you might be able to manage a single one. The only reason I can do it is because my chakra reserves are massive, even compared to most Jonin.”

Sasuke growled at this, but let it go. He knew Naruto had more chakra than anyone on Team 7, possibly even Kakashi, so he wasn’t going to press the issue, as angry as it made him.

Several hours passed in pure tension. Naruto was meditating with his sword while Sakura would occasionally tend to Kakashi and Sasuke was outside training. He couldn’t learn anything new, but he could at least hone his taijutsu.

Naruto stood up only a few minutes before Kakashi awoke.

“He’s awake!” Sakura called.

“Are you okay?” Sasuke asked.

“I’ll be fine. Can any of you give me a run down of the situation?” Kakashi asked.

“Wave is in a massive crises due to Gato and his company. It seems he has hired a decent sized army, but they aren’t ninja. He lives in a secluded part of the island with lots of security. And… Zabuza is still alive.” Naruto stated.

“How do you figure?” Kakashi asked before the other two could call him out on the statement.

“That hunter ninja was a fake. They took his body instead of destroying it on the spot like they should. And, they used senbon. I imagine they hit a pressure point to put him in a near death state. My knowledge of acupuncture is shaky at best, but I do know of a few points in the neck that can simulate death. That’s the only explanation I have.”

“That is a ridiculous theory.” Sasuke said.

“He’s right.” Kakashi and Sakura said, the latter unwillingly.

“The hunter should have destroyed Zabuza’s body on the spot. The fact that they took it breaks every protocol in any hunter book.”

“And there are four spots on the neck that can put someone in a near death state if hit correctly. A senbon could accomplish that.” Sakura explained.

“So what are we going to do?” Kakashi asked. He had an idea, but wanted to see what his genin would say.

“Train.” Sasuke and Naruto said.

He expected Sasuke to say that, but figured Naruto would go a different route.

“Why did you say training, Naruto?”

“Normally I would suggest an assassination on Gato. Get rid of the root of the problem and let things sort themselves out. No Gato, no thugs, no Zabuza, no need to protect Tazuna.”

Kakashi could agree with this line of thought, but still wanted to challenge.

“But we aren’t here to save a country. We’re here to protect Tazuna.”

“Who is trying to save his country. We’re just acting in a more roundabout way. However, I was going to say killing him isn’t very possible for us right now. His mansion is on a cliff side with slippery jagged cliff edges, and long well lit clearing before a tall well watched gate. It simply isn’t possible for a group of genin to get into such a location. It may be possible for you, but not us. So the only option is to prepare for the most immediate threat: Zabuza.”

“Sound reasoning. Get some sleep, we’ll start tomorrow.”

The genin nodded and began to leave the room, but Naruto stopped and closed the door while the others left.

“Is there something else you need?”

“I didn’t want to deal with the argument from the others, but I recommend calling for back up, just in case. There’s no telling what Gato could be up to and it would be better to have an extra set of hands or more to deal with this.”

“I’ll consider it. Honestly, we should have called for back up earlier.”

“I know.”

—

The next day saw Team 7 standing in a small clearing with Kakashi on his crutches.

“Alright team, today I’m going to teach you a chakra control exercise. You’re going to be climbing trees.” He watched their reactions and they were about what he expected. Sakura was confused, Sasuke was wondering how this was a chakra control exercise, and Naruto looked thoroughly unimpressed.

“But we can climb trees, sensei.” Sakura said.

“I meant without your hands. Naruto, you seem to know the technique, why don’t you demonstrate.”

“Okay.” Naruto said as he walked up to the tree, then up the tree in a smooth motion, stopping at the first branch than falling and hanging from it upside down. “This is the wall climbing technique. You channel a specific amount of chakra to your feet to allow you to stick to a surface. Too much chakra and you break the tree and repel yourself. Too little and you just slide off.” He fell to the ground. “I recommend Sakura continue walking up and down the tree until she can’t since she has the smallest reserves and will likely be able to do this first try.”

“Why do you know this technique?” Sasuke asked, annoyed that Naruto knew more than him.

“My teacher taught it to me years ago. I have a lot of chakra so I had to start from more intensive chakra control techniques and work backwards.” Naruto explained.

“How much chakra do you have?” Sakura asked.

Naruto shrugged. “Around four times more than Kakashi-sensei.”

“How did you get so much chakra?” Sasuke asked.

“I was born with a lot of chakra. It’s a trait of my moms side of the family. Uzumaki all have insane amounts of chakra, even at young ages. My mother had double the chakra reserves of a Kage in her twenties.”

“Wow…” Sakura said.

“Alright, Naruto, since you can do this, you’ll be watching Tazuna. I’m assuming you can already water walk as well.”

Naruto nodded.

“Right. Do you know your nature?”

“Wind.”

“Hmm. I don’t think I have too much to offer you then… At least not anything that wouldn’t draw a lot of attention. Talk to me when you get back.”

“Okay.”

Naruto went off to get Tazuna and watch him on the bridge after sending several shadow clones in disguise to look out for things in the village and try to get info. Things were going smoothly, but Naruto figured things would go faster with more hands.

“Tazuna.”

“What’s up, kid?”

“I don’t know much about bridge building, but you look kind of short staffed. I can offer up a small army of helpers you only need direct.”

“And where would you get this small army?”

Without moving a muscle around three hundred clones of Naruto popped into existence.

“Oh… Okay. Thank you…” Tazuna was too stunned to say much else before he started directing the clones to jobs.

—

It was around lunchtime that Naruto got some info. Apparently Gato had his men kidnap dozens of women of just about any age. The most obvious place he could think to keep them was the bar that seemed to only be frequented by Gato’s men. He sent a clone to deliver this info to Kakashi.

When the clone dispelled Naruto was fairly disappointed in the answer. He was told to leave it alone for now. It didn’t sit right with him, but he understood it would be a problem to attack and draw Gato’s men towards them. But, while he couldn’t save the women, he did have permission to take out as many of Gato’s men as he could as long as it couldn’t be tracked back to him.

That made him smile.

While Naruto wasn’t really one to take pleasure in hurting people, his fighting style was brutal and he had no problem doing so. Retsu had a cruel streak about her when fighting that rubbed off heavily on Naruto. He couldn’t make his own hidden mist like the real swordsman could, but he sure knew how to cause pain like them. The smoke from his clones was enough for now.

With his orders Naruto sent out several more clones to get to work. Many knew he could be creative, but now how creative. Almost every mercenary and bandit he killed off looked like an accident, suicide, or dispute. He took pride in his work, even if it was murder, and went the extra mile to make sure it couldn’t be tracked to them.

By the end of the week, Gato was sixty men shorter than before.

—

“Man, you did a hell of a job today, kid. The bridge can be done even sooner with your help!” Tazuna said as they returned to his home.

“Naruto was helping with the bridge?” Kakashi asked.

“Those clones of his sped up production by days!”

“Ah. Very good use of your clones, Naruto.”

“Don’t know why you’re even bothering.” Came a small voice from the other side of the table. A boy who looked to be around 6 or 7 years old in green overalls and a bucket hat with a blue stripe around it. “You’re all gonna die when Gato sends his men after you.”

“We’ve already faced the strongest Gato had to offer. I doubt he has anything worse than Zabuza Momochi to throw at us.” Naruto said.

“That doesn’t matter! He has an army! You should all just go back to your cushy homes in your big fancy village where you’re happy all the time! You don’t anything about our suffering! You don’t anything about pain and suffering!”

“What a petulant child.” Naruto scoffed. “You’re what, five? You have a loving mother and a grandfather. You have people who care about you, but you’re so far in the darkness you don’t even remember what the light looks like. I never had parents. They died the day I was born. I never even got a chance to know them. You should be grateful for what you have. You should be grateful to have such a loving mother and a grandfather who cares about not only you, but this entire town to risk his life every day so you can grow up in a better place under better conditions. You know what I had at your age? My life and a ratty apartment in the red light district. You know what Kakashi was doing at your age? Preparing to fight a fucking war. Stop acting like there’s no hope just because you’ve lost someone. Your village could’ve easily stopped Gato before he took over, but you all felt you had too much to lose. What about now? You have nothing left to lose and you’re still unwilling to fight. You’ve lost hope to the point of defeatism and that’s why Gato will always win.” Naruto stood up to leave before turning back. “And don’t you dare act like you know how someone has lived. You’re five. You haven’t experienced a tenth of what I have, even when I was your age.”

The room was silent after Naruto left. The other two genin because they were surprised at how even Naruto had been and a bit about his life. Tsunami and Tazuna because they knew he was right. Inari because he wasn’t ready to be told off like that. And Kakashi was reading his book.

“I’m eight.” Was Inari’s weak response.

“I was in the middle of fighting a war at eight.” Kakashi said off handedly as he turned a page.

—

Naruto woke up in a clearing he’d ripped to shred the night before while training. He was practicing his aim with Silk, as well as channeling chakra into not only the blade but the wires. It didn’t have the effect he wanted when he finally got it to work, but what it did do was interesting. It made the wire float like it was in water, which would only give him more options in a fight.

What had woken him up was the approach of another person into the clearing. He’d never been a heavy sleeper and his enhanced senses didn’t help this. He waited for the person to get closer to see what they’d do.

Haku was out searching for herbs when he stumbled across the blond that had helped take down Zabuza a few days prior. He was sleeping, but the state of the clearing made it clear what he was doing the night before, and gave an indicator of his power. He had considered killing the boy, but something stopped him from doing so. Other than his kind heartedness. Instead, he moved to wake the boy up.

“Hey, you’ll catch a cold out here, Mr. Ninja.” He said.

Naruto opened his eyes and looked into a very feminine face. He briefly thought it was a woman, but realized it was just a very feminine boy. He’d seen enough in his life time to tell the difference.

“I’ve never been sick.” Naruto sat up. “What are you doing out here?”

“I’m looking for herbs to help a sick friend.”

“I see. I’ll help.”

“Thank you. Were you out here training?”

“I was.”

“You seem pretty strong already, though.”

“There is always room for improvement.”

“Do you have any precious people?”

“Hm… I do. But everyone I care about is stronger than me. I’d have to be strong enough to take on all the Kage alone to be strong enough to protect them.”

“Well, if you’re getting stronger for the sake of others, you will definitely be strong.” Haku said as he picked the last of the herbs he needed.

“I’m sure. So, what’s your name, Hunter?” Naruto asked.

Haku was immediately on guard, reaching for the senbon in his pants.

“Hey, come on, I only asked for your name. I’m not interested in a fight. If I were you’d be in wrapped in wire by now.”

This didn’t serve to relax Haku, but he did move his hand slightly away from his weapons.

“I’m Haku. And you?”

“Naruto.”

“And why did you help if you knew it was me?”

“Because you’re like me. I’m interested in talking to you. How about we meet here every night and talk.”

Haku took a few seconds to examine Naruto. He found the boy to be correct. Naruto’s eyes were the same as his.

“How do I know this isn’t a trick?”

“I wouldn’t do that. Especially not to someone so much like me. I’m just interested in talking. It’s up to you to believe me, but I’ll be waiting for you here tonight. Show up here or don’t.” Naruto said before leaving Haku in the silent clearing.

—

When Naruto returned to Tsunami’s house he didn’t acknowledge any questioning stares or attempts to pry into what he said. But he did ask for a private meeting with Kakashi before the two groups headed out.

“What did you need to talk about?”

“Well, for one, we didn’t get to go over any training exercises yesterday.”

“Ah, yes. I wrote up some things for you to try. Some sword techniques I think you might find useful, as well as some wind jutsu and how to get started on nature manipulation. It’s a Jonin level skill, but I figure your teacher has had you working on things like kunai balancing for years.”

“She has.”

“Right. So I gave you what I could for now. I don’t think I know any taijutsu styles that would fit you very well, so that’s out. The few I know don’t focus on heavily on speed as you seem to.”

“Alright. And about what I told you yesterday, I’ve taken out a few of the henchmen. Only around ten or so, but I’m being methodical.”

“No way to trace it back to us?”

“Nope. The first two I killed I tricked into a fight in the cliffs to make it look like they fought one another before sending them off. Everything looks like an accident or dispute so far.”

“And you’re okay? Killing?”

“I got my first kill back in the village. When I was ten. Some people tried to rob and beat me. They met an early grave. Retsu helped me through that.”

“I see. Is that everything?”

“Did you check on back up?”

“I did. Unfortunately there aren’t any teams to spare at the moment. The Hokage seems confident enough in our abilities to handle this when I told him of the fight with Zabuza.”

“Hm… Alright. That’s all I had to ask you about.”

“Alright. We’ll talk later.”

“Right.” Naruto took off to grab Tazuna.

—

Much to Naruto’s surprise, Haku did show up. They each brought food and split it amongst themselves. And they just talked. About anything and everything except their homes and the mission. They knew they were going to have to fight at some point, but didn’t want to voice that. They found they were very alike. Similar tastes in food and music and even girls, though that was a subject neither wanted to delve to deep into.

And it continued like this for nearly two weeks. They would spend the day doing their respective things, Naruto helping with the bridge or training and Haku nursing Zabuza. They would meet every night and talk about whatever they wanted, still avoiding the subject of their pasts and mission. They developed a deep bond in only a short amount of time, coming to consider each other brothers.

It was towards the end of Zabuza’s recovery that he voiced his opinion of Haku’s nightly outings.

“I don’t care what you’re doing talking with that leaf ninja, but don’t forget your purpose. We’re here for a job, so don’t get too attached.”

“Of course, Lord Zabuza.” Haku had said before leaving.

The final night was a bit tense. The two boys were lying in the grass head to head making a line, just staring up at the stars. They knew what tomorrow would be. Haku spoke first.

“I wasn’t originally a ninja when I was in the Mist. My parents were farmers. We lived a pretty peaceful life for a while. Until I discovered my bloodline. I thought it was amazing and went to show my mother. She panicked and told me never to use it again. The bloodline purge was still in full swing at the time and if anyone found out they’d kill us. My mother was from a clan of Ice users and had escaped the purge. Apparently one of our neighbors saw or overheard. When the news got back to my father…” Haku choked, having a hard time speaking. “He… He and a mob busted in the house. My mother hid me and tried to talk my father down and he… They killed her. And they came for me. He nearly killed me. But I used my power and turned the tables. Ice shot from the ground, killing everyone. I took the last thing my mother had ever given me and ran. I ended up on the streets in the hidden Mist. It was a while before Lord Zabuza picked me up. He made me his tool. Gave me something to live for.” Haku finished, wiping the tears from his eyes before they could fall.

Naruto was silent for a few seconds, taking in the story before he spoke.

“I was an orphan from the start. Left in an orphanage since birth with no idea who my parents were or if they were alive and had simply abandoned me. Because of something done to me when I was born, I was hated by the entire village. Ignored and neglected by the orphanage caretakers and bullied by the other children. The caretakers encouraged it. I slept in the basement on a mattress on the floor and a single blanket, no pillow. The Hokage moved me into my own apartment at five. It was ratty and not well taken care of. It was basically an abandoned building in the red light district. I learned to do everything myself as soon as I could. Even then, the villagers wouldn’t sell me anything. If they did it was severely overpriced. Walking through this town reminded me a lot of my childhood. Nearly rotten goods at triple the price they should be. The only clothes I could get were things no one else would buy, and even then they were still overpriced.

My apartment had nearly no hot water and the electricity cut out constantly. I turned to pranks and things like that to get people to even acknowledge I existed. It was when I was seven I learned why everyone hated me. The Nine tailed demon fox that had attacked the village the day I was born was sealed inside of me, as well as killing my parents. It was then things turned around for me. I was taken in by a swordswoman who taught me to the best of her ability. She started training me before I went to the academy. The teachers there did their best to make sure I failed at everything. If not for my teacher I wouldn’t be the person I am. The Hidden Leaf has a sentiment called the ‘Will of Fire’, a sense of camaraderie and belief that love is the path to peace. It’s a measure of loyalty to the village. I’ve been almost completely excluded from this sentiment. I’m smart enough to know what the Third was doing when he approached me. He wanted me to build bonds in the village so I would never turn against it. After all, they can’t have someone with my situation defect. He wanted me to look past the hatred. I didn’t. I can’t. As much as I want to, I can’t stand those people. Because they don’t see me. They see the fox. I’m a non factor in their eyes. I don’t exist. I never have to them. But I think the next generation has the potential to be better then their parents. If not, I likely would’ve left a while ago.” Naruto finished.

Haku was silent for a bit, likewise taking in Naruto’s story. Then he sat up, prompting Naruto to do the same.

“Naruto, I want you to have this.” Haku pulled his necklace off and held it up to Naruto. It was a light blue crystal with a snowflake inside. “It was the last thing my mother left for me. A reminder of my heritage. I want you to have it.”

Naruto almost gasped. “Haku, I can’t take this from you. It’s too precious.”

“Take it, Naruto. I want you to have it. We both know what’s going to happen tomorrow. If I win, I can just take it back. If you win… Well, you’ll always have something to remember your big brother by.” Haku gave a gentle smile. Naruto hesitantly took the necklace and put it on.

“Whatever happens tomorrow, Haku, you’re my brother and the best friend I’ve ever had. Thanks for everything.” Naruto said.

The two pulled into a tight hug before going their separate ways.


	9. Magnolia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another Jaune centric RWBY story with power from the MC of Psyren as a semblance.

Ozpin sat at his desk looking over documents on a person of interest he’d had Qrow looking into. The man was apparently extremely powerful and traveled around Remnant helping where he could, never asking for more than a place to sleep and a nights meal. And even asking that much was rare. He was praised by the people who’d seen him. He was described as a mysterious man, always wearing the hood on his black jacket when in public. All people knew about his physical appearance was that he had electric blue eyes and he was tall. The man also seemed to wear a mask but most couldn’t see what it was.

He was spoken about in cheers, called the “Unseen Savior” by many for the fact that half the time no one knew he was there. He only showed up when there was trouble and only made himself known when he wanted to. This made tracking him exceedingly difficult, as there would be rumors of him being in a village outside of Vacuo one day, then he’d pop up somewhere in Mistral only two days later. But Qrow had finally gotten a bead on him. He seemed to be making his way across Anima, which made it far easier to get a read on where he might go.

Qrow had sent a report only hours earlier saying he could be headed towards Athens, a decently large village on the way to Mistral proper. He wanted this man as part of his circle, possibly as another spy like Qrow. Someone so difficult to find would surely be an asset in the fight against Salem. His thoughts took a slight turn as he thought of another man full of potential that he’d been forced to let go.

Jaune Arc.

It had been two years since he’d last seen the boy. Their last meeting was not a cheerful affair, but he did hope to see the boy again the next year. It was unfortunate the way things went down, but he couldn’t say he didn’t understand why he might not want to come back to Beacon.

—— Flashback ——

The room was silent save for the ticking of the large clockwork around the glass office.

Jaune looked like he’d been told his puppy had been killed. He probably felt worse, considering the occasion.

“Mr. Arc,” Ozpin finally spoke, “It is unfortunate that it has turned out this way. I see a great deal of potential in you, and it’s a shame that I have to expel you. This action is being taken both to protect you and your fellow students as well as the school. Do you understand that?”

Jaune was silent, but he nodded. He did understand. If nothing was done and he was allowed to stay, that would get Ozpin and the school itself in trouble with the Vale Council. More than that, most of the student body was more than happy to show their distaste with his actions. Not like half of them hadn’t done anything shady before or since coming to Beacon.

“Good. I’ve tried to keep this as under wraps as possible. While I understand this is a major blow to you and your path to being a huntsman, you are more than welcome to apply here again next year. And if you don’t feel comfortable coming back right away, you can try again the year after that. There is no proper age to attend a combat school, just a minimum age. You could also apply to Shade. Dory would be more than happy to poach one of my students. Especially one with so much potential.”

Jaune didn’t laugh at the obvious joke. He was too in his head to laugh at the moment.

Ozpin cleared his throat.

“There is also the option of an apprenticeship. While not a widespread practice anymore, some Hunters do still offer them. With your determination I doubt many would be unwilling to take you. The point I’m trying to get at, Mr. Arc, is that while I would like to be the one to see you off into your Huntsman career, you do have options, even with this seemingly insurmountable obstacle in your path.”

“Yes. Thank you, sir.” Jaune said.

“I’m glad you understand. You are welcome to leave now.”

Jaune nodded and got up, walking over to the elevator where Glynda Goodwitch was waiting for him.

As the elevator doors closed, Ozpin sighed.

———Flashback end———

“Ms. Goodwitch, could you get teams RWBY and ALPN to my office ASAP, please.”

“Of course, sir.”

———

In their three years at Beacon, These two teams had proven themselves the best of their year, and even surpassing some of the older teams. Ruby Rose, while small in size, was a force to be reckoned with. Her speed made her more than deadly with the large scythe she wielded, making her capable of getting in and out of her foes attack range before they could recognize she was even there, not to mention she could pick enemies off at a distance with the built in sniper rifle.

Her partner, Weiss Schnee, also a petite girl, could nearly mirror the use of her partners speed with the use of her glyphs, though she used them to make her hard to catch as she orchestrated Grim and traps to distract and disrupt her opponents.

Blake Belladonna was another slippery one. While not nearly as fast as her two prior teammates, her shadow clones made her difficult to keep track of and hit.

Finally, Yang Xiao Long, the golden haired brawler of the team. She was the largest of the team in many ways, but what made her deadly was her close quarters combat skills. She was already powerful, but her semblance only served to maker her more so, allowing her to dish out double the damage she takes.

Team ALPN was technically only in operation for two and half years, but they’d grown as close as they all had grown powerful. The leader was one Amber Arc. Twin to the previously expelled Jaune Arc. She also wielded his former weapon, Crocea Mors. While she didn’t have nearly as much aura as her older twin, her semblance allowed her to shield her team and tank attacks just as well. Not to mention she was far more skilled with the blade than her brother was, though that could be partly due to the fact that she’d actually received training prior to attending Beacon.

Her partner, one Pyrrha Nikos, was a devastating opponent before attending Beacon, but she’d only grown more so since then. She was faster and stronger than before, and her skill had only grown, making her capable of taking out large groups of opponents rather quickly.

Lie Ren, very much a ninja in image and attitude, was a quick fighter and hard to deal with, keeping enemies in a range he was comfortable with. The fact that he never seemed to lose his composure helped him serve as the emotional pillar of his team as well.

Finally was Nora Valkyrie, who was every bit as peppy as she was battle hungry. The happy-go-lucky girl was always ready for a fight and was more than ready to smash things with her hammer. How her team survived her sugar highs was a mystery to many.

As Ozpin finished his assessment of the two teams, he decided they’d be the best for trying to recruit this “Unseen Savior”. With ruby’s penchant for talking things out before a fight, he believed her best for any diplomatic mission. Most of the others would be more than happy to not have to fight someone if they could help it. Pretty much all of them but Yang and Nora would be happy to not have to fight. While he figured team RWBY would normally be enough for something like this, having team ALPN as back up, especially for someone that seemed this powerful, was a good precaution.

“I’ve called you all here because I’ve got a mission for you.” He swiped his hand and several documents floated above his desk. “I’d like you to head to Athens on Anima and search for a man called the ‘Unseen Savior’ among many other names. Your objective is to bring him back here as peacefully as possible. The man is said to be extremely powerful and I’d like you to avoid a fight if possible. If a fight is unavoidable. Dispatch him as quickly as possible and call for back up to have him transported here to speak with me.”

“I have a question.” Amber raised her hand.

“Yes, Ms. Arc?”

“Why do you want us to find this guy?”

“Because I believe he would be a valuable member of this school. As many of you were when you arrived here, he is merely energy without direction. I hope to provide that direction.”

“When do we leave, sir?” Ruby asked.

“Immediately.”

—————

The two teams arrived to find Athens in a panic. People were quickly making their way out of the town, evacuating as quickly as they could into large bullheads that had apparently been sent from Mistral.

“Excuse me,” Ruby stopped a woman as she got near, “What’s happening?”

“Evacuation orders. There’s a large group of Grimm headed this way, some of them apparently Class A or higher. Most of us are relocating for the time being. Are you all Hunters?” She asked.

“We are.” Pyrrha said.

“Oh, you’re Pyrrha Nikos! You’re quite the role model for aspiring hunters around here. I’m sure everything will be fine with you around. That man seemed to think he could handle them all alone. He’ll definitely be fine with you all here.”

“Wait, someone went to face the horde alone?” Amber asked.

“Yeah. A man around six feet tall with electric blue eyes wearing a black hooded jacket with designs around the edges. Had on a pair of black pants and a white shirt. Two swords on his lower back curved oddly. Showed up and told us what was going on before saying some bullheads would be picking up anyone who wants to leave. Helped as many people as he could pack up their essentials before he had to take off.”

“How long ago did he leave?” Weiss asked.

“Couldn’t have been more than an hour ago.”

“Alright, Yang, Nora, you two stay here and help people get evacuated. You’re the best for protecting them if any Grimm show up. Meet up with us when everyone is gone.” Ruby ordered.

“Got it.” The two said.

The two teams, each one member short head off towards the fight.

———

The two teams arrived to see a man in a black hoodie slicing through Grimm like paper. He was ducking and dodging any attacks and retaliating with quicker slashes of his blades. They couldn’t be sure how long he was fighting, but based on how he was moving, they guessed not long. He didn’t seem sluggish at all.

Then, as the larger Grimm showed up, the man made some space between him and his opponents. Flying Beringel, Beowolves, even Lancers were all making their way towards him. Winged Beringel were a relatively new creation, showing up in only the last two years, but they were still incredibly deadly.

“Damn. More than I was expecting. Why do they keep sending me on these?” The man asked himself as he made even more distance. “Alright, here we go.” He raised his black-wrap covered hand and several pitch black orbs appeared in his, some of them had rings around them like small planets. Then, he threw his hand forward and they expanded to the size of people as they destroyed every thing they came into contact with. The destruction was awe inducing and devastating. The orbs scooped grooves in the forest ground and devoured the trees as they passed by them. Every Grimm at the front of the pack was eaten by the orbs. Over half of the army of monsters was dead before they wised up and got out of it’s path.

Once they did, the orbs stopped. Over fifty feet from their launch point, they were now the size of small rooms hovering in the air. The teams could only stare in awe at the destruction. Something as simple as a black orb had just annihilated everything in it’s path with unrelenting force. It inspired fear and a bit of admiration in the group. But the next part shocked them most.

The man snapped and spikes began snaking from the orbs and towards every living thing in the area save the originator. The teams realized this too late to move from their spots. They were saved by the fact that all of the Grimm died before the spikes could stab them. They all let out a sigh of relief as the black spikes shattered.

“You know, you six aren’t very good at hiding.” The man said.

“We were planning to help you.” Ruby said as they jumped from their trees.

“Seems we weren’t really needed, though.” Amber said, eying the destruction.

The groups were on guard after seeing what he was capable of with only a swing of his hand.

“Hm. Well, I got it covered. Do you know how many people evacuated?”

“Almost half the town by the time we got there.” Pyrrha answered.

“I see. I’m heading back there.” He said, starting to walk past them.

“Wait.” Ruby called, getting the man to look at her. “We were sent to find you.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Professor Ozpin thinks you’d be a good ally to have.”

“Ozpin? Hm… I’ll have to think about it. Make a call or two before I make my decision.”

“Why not just come with us? You can make those calls later.” Amber said.

“I can’t. I have other people to consider. I’ll have my decision to you by morning.” He turned away again only to walk into an invisible wall.

“You’re making your decision now.”

“Even though we can’t leave until tomorrow anyway? Are you really so impatient? It’s not like I’m going anywhere. I tend to stick around a bit in case anymore Grimm decide to show up.”

“Amber, it’s really not that big a deal. He’s right that we’re here for at least the night to keep the remaining civilians safe.” Ruby said.

“Fine. Can we at least get a name? Not this ‘Unseen Savior’ crap?”

“Is that what people call me? Huh. Well, for the time being you can call me Black Star.”

“Black Star?” Ren asked.

“Oh, is that a code name?” Nora asked.

“Indeed it is.” Black Star said. “Now, let’s get back to town.”

———

Over the few hours the hunters-in-training were helping the civilians, Black Star never took off his hoodie. He had a cheerful and helpful disposition when interacting with others, so it was a shock to see from the nonchalant and aloof man they’d seen earlier. They watched him like a hawk as he helped people move things or play with kids while the parents dealt with things, never once taking off his hood or mask. They didn’t even know what the mask looked like either, so much shadow his hood casted over his face.

When it finally came time for things to wind down, the groups stayed at an Inn that was still open, the owners not wanting to leave it just in case. The two teams got rooms across and next to Black Stars. They wanted to keep an eye on him, that much they made obvious. Not like it really mattered. Even with Blake trying to listen in on him, she wouldn’t know anymore than about him than the others.

It was far past sundown when he finally made his call.

“Hey, sis. Is mom home?” He asked.

“Black Star. You don’t usually call this late. What’s it about?” The voice on the other end said.

In the other room, Weiss asked what he was doing.

“He just called his home.”

“Oh. Well, keep listening. See if you can learn anything about him.”

Blake nodded.

“I came across a pet store earlier.”

“I see. I’ll hand the phone to her.”

“What’s going on?” Weiss asked.

“He mentioned something about a pet store.” Blake answered.

They all thought it was weird, but he did spend some time with someone selling pets.

“Hello?” Came a different voice on the phone.

“Mom, I came across a pet store earlier. I was wondering what you want.”

“Ah, I see. Meet with the owner. See about a mastiff.”

“Mastiff? Those are pretty big. Are you sure?”

“Yes. And be sure to explain the circumstances. We have enough room.”

“Got it.”

“Good. Bye.”

“Bye.”

“Who ends a call to their mother without saying they love them?” Blake asked.

“He didn’t tell his mom he loves her? Damn.” Yang said.

“They probably just needed to talk real quick. It doesn’t always have to end like that.” Ruby said.

“Still.”

Over with team Alpine, the four members sat and spoke about the mysterious person in the room across from them.

“I can definitely see why Ozpin wants him.” Pyrrha said.

“Maybe he’s got another fairy tale he wants to use him for.” Nora said excitedly. They were all more than shocked when Pyrrha had told them what Ozpin wanted of her, and more so that she went through with it. Pyrrha tried not to use those powers too much, but she trained with them as much as she could.

“I doubt it. Outside of the maidens and the Brothers, I don’t think there’s much else to use. Unless he’s the reincarnation of one of them or something ridiculous like that.” Amber said.

“Still, with that ridiculous ability of his, he’d very much make a good ally in the fight against the Grimm.” Ren said.

“He would. And we have to make sure he comes with us. I’d prefer not to fail this mission.”

“I’d rather avoid a fight with someone like him.”

“You don’t think he’d use that on other people, do you?” Pyrrha asked.

“If pushed, it’s not impossible.”

“Do you think it even works on people? Can it go through Aura?” Nora asked.

“Both are likely. The way it just devoured the landscape, tore through everything it touched, I wouldn’t put it past something like that to just eat through Aura like nothing.”

The room was silent with that worrying thought.

—————

The next morning found the two teams in a panic. Black Star wasn’t in his room and they all freaked out trying to find him. After nearly half an hour of nearly tearing the Inn apart, they found him casually eating an omelette and looking at his scroll. Ren idly noticed the mask on the table next to him was that of an Oni, a myth from the same region of Mistral he and Nora had grown up in. Why someone would relate themselves to such a creature was unknown to him, but it made him all the more wary of the man in front of them.

“You!” Yang shouted.

He looked up at them, seeming to examine their upset and relieved faces before going back to his food.

“You’re just going to ignore me?!”

“You didn’t say anything. What was there to respond to?” He asked, not looking up.

“Why weren’t you in your room?”

“I’m an early riser. Went for a run then showered and came back and got food.”

“So you’re coming with us?” Ruby asked.

“Yep.” He said as he took a bite of his food.

“Didn’t you say you needed to talk to someone?” Amber asked.

“I did. Everything is okay.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.” He nodded.

“Well, we better get going soon.” Weiss said.

“No. I-.”

“What do you mean, ‘no’? You said you were coming with us!” Yang asked.

“Don’t interrupt me.” He said, glaring at the blonde. “If you would have let me finish, you would know why. I like to check around for anymore Grimm that may be in the area. Isn’t that something you’ve learned at Beacon yet?”

The group was silent. The way he did Grimm Exterminations was a little beyond common practice. Most people would get rid of their targets, sweep the area, then maybe stay the night in town as extra precaution. This guy did two sweeps, just to make sure the town would be safe for a while longer.

“Fine. But we’re leaving by lunch time.” Weiss said.

“I’m okay with that.”

————

The sweep, at least to Yang, proved to be unnecessary. They checked in a two mile radius of the town, getting it done a lot quicker with nine of them, and found no signs of Grimm. Had she voiced that she felt it was a waste of time, the others would have jabbed about her being muscle, not brain power. Not that she was dumb, just that she tended to be rash and not think things through.

When they were finally on the bullhead back to Beacon, Black Star sat away from them. He was on his scroll the entire time while at least one of them watched him like a hawk. He seemed to be a somewhat normal guy, but they couldn’t bring themselves to trust him if he couldn’t be bothered to show them his face or tell them his actual name. Well, most of them. Ruby tried to talk to him a few times, but he didn’t seem to be a very social person.

Everyone was relieved once they finally got back to Beacon. They surrounded Black Star in a way they considered inconspicuous, but he could tell they didn’t want to risk him getting away from them. After finally managing to stuff nine people into the elevator up to Ozpin’s office they were happy to be done with this excitement.

The groups stepped into the large office and approached Ozpin’s desk.

“Welcome. You must have questions. Please, take a seat and I’ll explain. Good job, teams. You’re dismissed. Take a break. You’ve earned it.” Ozpin said.

The two teams nodded before leaving the room.

“You are a difficult man to find.” Ozpin said.

“I try to be. I’m sure you’ve figured out by now I can only be found when I want to be.”

“Indeed. It explains why you didn’t put up a fight when I sent two of my best teams after you. My question is why you would want me to find you.”

“There are a few reasons. But the most important one is that I was ordered to.”

“Oh? By who?”

“My superior. I’m sure you’re familiar with her.” He took out his scroll and laid it on the mans desk, sending up a picture of Winter Schnee.

“You work for Specialist Schnee?”

“Technically. I’m currently her apprentice.”

“She offered you an apprenticeship? You must be quite skilled.”

“I wasn’t at first. I’m sure you know that better than any, Ozpin.”

The older man could hear the amusement in his voice.

“Who are you?”

“I am the leader of Special Team Supernova created as part of a special program on part of the Atlas Special Operative initiative to train those who may not have had opportunity to train to be hunters. Codename: Northern Black Star.” The man took his mask off and set it beside him and slid his hood off, allowing Ozpin to see his face. The look of shock was more than enough to make him smirk. “But you know me better as Jaune Arc.”

Ozpin was silent for a few seconds as he took that all in. It was certainly a surprise. And it would explain why there had been no news of the boy over the last two years.

“How did this happen?”

“Shortly after I left, General Ironwood approached me about an opportunity. A year long program named project Nova. It was supposed to test and push those of us who wanted to be hunters but may not have had the start we needed. It was a tough year that can only be described as ‘hell’, but it was well worth it. The top four students would form a team called Team Supernova, each given a codename for when they were out on missions as well as an apprenticeship under one of the Specialists. Being the best student, I was paired with Winter. Of course, she was there the entire program and pushed us our hardest.”

“But you’ve spent about a year away from your teacher?”

“Winter can’t always be there for me, and she wanted me to go out on my own to see how I’d do. When we got wind that you were looking for me, she decided I might as well spend some time here and helping you out. We were traveling together at first, just so she could show me the ropes and everything.”

“I see. Well, I’d be glad to have you back. I’m sure I could find a team for you to be on.”

“Not so fast there, Ozpin. I do have some stipulations.”

“Like what?”

“For one, I’d prefer not to be on a team. My actual team may end up here with me and I’m capable of handling things alone. And what I can’t, well, that’s where the second stipulation comes in.”

“Which is?”

“Immunity for my girlfriend.”

“Your girlfriend?”

As if they’d planned this the whole time, a black portal appeared next to Jaune, making Ozpin’s eyes widen significantly.

“Hello again, Oz.” Raven Branwen spoke lightly.

“Raven.”

“I’m sure you know about what Raven has been up to in the time since she left your employ.” Jaune said as the older woman sat closely next to him, her arm wrapping around his.

“Indeed.”

“Well, we’re together now. I understand there may be problems with that, besides the age gap, but things have changed. She’s different now. As am I.”

“How so? You know I can’t rightly allow her to just live here after everything.” Ozpin said, though his tone wasn’t accusatory.

“Her tribe betrayed her. They left her for dead.”

“And that’s where the connection comes from. Betrayal.”

“Unfortunately, that is what we initially bonded over, yes.” Raven spoke. “There is a lot more to Jaune than most would see. I’m not replacing Tai. I’ve moved on from him, just as he has from me. There is genuine love here. I know we didn’t leave off on the best foot, but I’d prefer to stay with him.”

Ozpin was silent. He looked at the two and saw that they really did care for one another. While the age gap was rather large, he couldn’t say it was exactly wrong, considering some of the other age gaps he’s seen.

“Fine. If Atlas was willing to allow her safe haven for you, than I will as well. As for teams… Well, we do have an Operator program. And considering that’s how you’ve been for the last long while, I don’t see why not.”

“Great. There’s one more thing though.”

“About you being Atlas military?”

“Not exactly. While I do work for them, the Supernova’s are considered independent, so they pay me as a contractor. I could easily leave and not look back once my apprenticeship with Winter is over. No, it’s more so that since I’m in an apprenticeship Winter will be coming to assess my growth at some point. If she doesn’t find it satisfactory, she’d be able to pull me, both as my teacher and C.O.”

“But you don’t plan on slacking off.”

“I don’t. Just letting you know that her decision to pull me would be final. Neither of us could do anything to stop it.”

“Very well. However, speaking of coming back here, how are you feeling?”

“I’ve been wondering about that as well.” Raven looked at him.

“Well, while I have no real interest in being friends again, I wouldn’t mind speaking to my twin. I’ve learned to not let people effect me in such ways anymore.”

“I see. Well,” Ozpin typed some things up on his desk and Jaune’s scroll beeped, “You now have your own room. I take it you two are already sharing a bed?” He almost sighed at the smirking nod each of them gave. “Then you’re all set. I’ll notify the other teachers of both of you immediately.”

“Thank you.” The two stood up and walked to the elevator. “It was good to see you again, Ozpin.” Jaune said as the doors closed.

———Flashback———

Jaune stepped into the elevator to Ozpin’s office for the last time for at least a year. He was upset he wouldn’t be able to continue to learn here, but he knew he had no one to blame but himself.

“Mr, Arc.” He heard from beside him, noticing that Glynda Goodwitch was beside him the whole time. “I understand you may be upset, but this is for your safety as much as it’s for the school. You’re simply not ready to be out fighting Grimm without proper training.”

Jaune simply nodded.

“Contrary to popular belief, I do care about all of you. Your safety is my primary concern. I need you to understand that you could have died several times during your studies here. You could have gotten someone else killed-.”

“I know.”

Glynda was taken aback. “What?”

“I said I know. I know that more than anyone. You think I didn’t consider that, especially when I was made team leader? It constantly plagued my mind. That I shouldn’t be here. That I could get someone else killed. Every single second I’m haunted by the thought, the fact, that I’m not good enough to be here. All I ever did was hold my fr— Hold my team back. I know they’d be better off without me to constantly worry about. I’m nothing but a liability. I’m not mad I got found out. I made my choices and I honestly didn’t expect to be here as long as I was. I know I don’t have talent for this. My father was right.”

Glynda stared in silent horror at the boy. She’d never considered that he would be constantly racked with worry or self loathing. He came off as more of a happy go lucky goofball more than anything. But seeing him like this, she understood it was just so people didn’t worry about him. He didn’t want to be anymore more of a burden than he already thought he was.

“Jaune.” Glynda said sternly. “Just because you aren’t good now, doesn’t mean you can’t be. I’m sure Ozpin told you he let you in because he saw potential. I’m not sure what your father told you, but he was wrong. You’re going to go far if you stick with it and get proper training. Beacon is to hone the skills and knowledge you already have. If you can come back with a good foundation, I’d be more than happy to be your teacher again.”

Jaune was silent as the elevator continued it’s descent. Finally, as it came to a stop, he looked up at her.

“Thanks, professor.”

“You’re welcome. Now, be at the docks in fifteen minutes. I’ll be escorting you back into Vale.”

“Got it.”

———Flashback End———

Jaune was snapped from his thoughts when the elevator doors opened again, letting him and Raven out.

“You were thinking about the last time you were here.” Raven said.

“I was. The short pep talk that Glynda gave me before I left.”

“She comes off as a bitch, but she really does care about her students.”

“What was that?” The unmistakable voice of Glynda Goodwitch sounded from their left.

“I said for how much of a bitch you come off as, you really care about your students.” Raven said.

“Raven.” Glynda said. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m going to be living here from now one. As a stipulation of having my boyfriend as part of your schools forces.”

“Boyfriend?” Glynda asked, actually confused by this turn of events.

“Hello, Ms. Goodwitch. It’s actually nice to see you again.” Jaune said stepping from behind Raven.

“Jaune. You’re back. You’re… Dating Raven Branwen?”

“Yes, yes, and yes. Mostly. While I’m certainly still Jaune Arc, I’ve changed since I left. I am back, but mostly because Ozpin wanted my persona to fight for him. You’ve heard of the “Unseen Savior”? Apparently that was what people were calling me when I was out doing solo missions. And Raven and I have been together about eight months. We’re waiting a bit longer to make anything official.”

“Well, I certainly can’t say I saw you as cradle robber, Raven.”

“Isn’t Oz like, quadruple your age?” Raven shot back.

“Ozpin and I are not together.”

“Aren’t you two the same age?” Jaune asked.

“She’s actually a year older than me.” Raven said.

“Ah.”

“Jaune, how old did you think I was?” Glynda asked.

“I don’t know, like, forty one. You women all look like you’re in your twenties until you hit eighty.”

“I look like I’m twenty but you guessed forties?”

“I try to be realistic.” Jaune shrugged.

“Very well. Have you received a schedule from the headmaster? I’m sure you’ll have a lot to catch up on.”

“He won’t, actually.” Raven said.

“And why is that?”

“Well, in addition to receiving training from myself, he’s been through an Atlesian special program in which he earned top of the class, as well as leader of his new team, and, even better, an apprenticeship under top Atlas Specialist Winter Schnee.” Raven bragged.

“Oh! Well, congratulations, Jaune! I’m proud of you, to have come so far so quickly.” The older woman smiled.

“Thank you.” Jaune smiled back. “Now, we should probably get to our room. I want to relax for a while. That trip was far too long.”

“Very well then.” Glynda said.

————

Jaune stepped out of the bathroom with a pair of baggy pants draped off his legs and no shirt, revealing the tattoo on his right bicep. It was an eight pointed star with the cardinal points being twice as long as the diagonal facing points. His was black, denoting his position and codename, while the other three members had similar tattoos in their proper colors. On his right pectoral was his new emblem. It showed a black hole depicted as a multi-pointed black swirl.

“I don’t know why you insisted on taking a shower.” Raven said from the bed.

“I’d rather not go get our food smelling like sex.” Jaune replied, running his hands through his still damp hair.

“Even though we’re just going to do it again later?”

“Oh, is that a promise?”

“Maybe.”

“You tease.” He smirked.

“Hey. I never tease.” She said, wrapping her arms around him, their bare torsos pressed together as she hugged him tightly. “I just give previews.” She whispered in his air, smirking when she felt him shiver.

“I should hurry up and get the food then.” He said.

“Hurry back, dear!” Raven waved coyly as Jaune threw on his hoodie and left.

Despite that interaction, Jaune didn’t rush to get to the cafeteria. Instead he looked over the school as he walked, the fading sunlight shining off the school and giving it its namesake. Few people made notice of him as he walked. His hood was up and hiding his face and he’d gotten very good at being discreet when he wanted to be. The only ones who would notice him were people who were going out of their way to pay attention to their environment. Something that should be a given in a hunter academy, but wasn’t practiced as much as it should be. The school was considered a safe area so few people felt the need to be on guard.

He walked into the cafeteria and quickly grabbed two to-go trays and filled them with his and Ravens favorite foods. Despite growing up in a nomadic tribe of bandits, the woman was Mistralie through and through. She preferred tea over coffee, loved noodle and rice based dishes, and had no problem eating raw cuts of fish on clumps of rice, or even alone with some ginger and soy sauce.

Jaune liked more Valean foods, having grown up on Sanus. While their traditional foods were more pasta and cheese heavy, it wasn’t entirely the case. Meat pies were eaten more often than most pastas in his area. But Vale specifically just kind of mashed things together to see what worked. Which is why Deep Dish pizza with fifteen different toppings (Usually meat and extra cheese) were so popular. He, himself, preferred simple things like fried chicken sandwiches and double bacon burgers. He picked them each up a shake and took the whole can of whip cream for something he was planning later.

As he was leaving he heard someone call to him.

“Black Star!” He heard the excitable voice of Ruby Rose call out to him. He looked up to see the two groups not too far behind him.

“Don’t you know the meaning of restraint?” He sighed half jokingly.

“Sorry!” She said much more quietly as her and her sister team caught up with her. “I saw you and wanted to say hi and ask what was going on.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” He said, a little surprised she couldn’t see his face at this distance. He must’ve ended up in odd lighting.

“She means what you’re doing here.” Yang said.

“Ah. I’m staying here. Just until Ozpin decides what he wants me to do exactly.”

“So you’re going to be acting as a contractor for the school?” Weiss asked.

“You could say that. It is how most huntsmen operate.”

“Why do you have two trays?” Amber asked.

“Oh, are you eating with someone? A girl?” Nora asked.

“It’s probably just his partner or something.” Weiss waved off.

“Speaking of, I’d like to get going. I’m a bit hungry.” Jaune said.

“Didn’t mean to hold you. You get going. And don’t use all that whip cream at once.” Yang smirked.

“I’m not making any promises.” Jaune said as he turned, waving slightly as he left.

“Oh. Nora might be right.”

“I doubt it.” Weiss said as they left to get their food.

Jaune returned to his room to find Raven in a rare moment of stillness. She was sitting on their bed watching T.V in her underwear and one of his shirts, which just reached her hips.

“I’ve returned with food.” Jaune announced as he stepped into the room. Raven looked over to him with a light smile.

“You sure took your time.”

“I ran into my old friends.” He said casually.

“And how did that go?”

“I was standing in weird lighting so they couldn’t see my face under my hood despite how close we were. Ruby is as energetic as ever. Nora guessed correctly I had a girl in here, and Yang made a joke about this can of whip cream I took,” He explained as he squeezed whipped cream into his mouth before swallowing it. “I responded in earnest.”

“I see.” Raven said as she looked took the closed boxes and opened them, sneering slightly at the sight of Jaune’s double bacon burger and fried chicken sandwich and quickly shoving it over to him. “You didn’t feel anything when talking to them?”

“No. Like I said, I don’t let people effect me like that anymore. It’s simply not worth the energy to care.” He said as he popped an onion ring into his mouth.

Raven nodded. She had been learning to really let go of such things as well. She thought she was over Taiyang and Yang when she’d left, but she’d really just locked those emotions away. When Jaune saved her, she nearly thought he was her ex, they looked so similar in her groggy brain. If she was being honest, they would look like twins if he grew some stubble and cut his hair a bit shorter. Being more honest, she preferred him with long hair because she didn’t want to be reminded of Tai.

She remembered going back to see him after she was well enough to leave and the conversation that ensued left her nearly in tears. She still cared about him and Yang, and even her brother to an extent, but she knew they couldn’t ever really be a family again. Especially after their talk. She’d skipped out on them and missed so much of their lives that it was far too late. Any relationship she did rekindle with them wouldn’t be in the same way.

And it wasn’t like she settled for Jaune, either. They developed a genuine connection when she started traveling with him. She hadn’t even realized she’d formed a connection with him before she went to speak with Tai. When Jaune felt comfortable enough to tell her what had led to him being where he was in life and how he was so strong for someone his age, she was surprised to hear how Yang and especially Ruby had acted. She couldn’t follow the thought process needed to throw away a friend, a genuine friend, for something as minor as false transcripts. Sure it was dangerous to more people than just Jaune, but from what she understood, at least one of them had done worse.

And even when she was a student not everyone got in legitimately. Hell, she and Qrow hadn’t gotten in legitimately. Granted they were actually prepared to fight, but it wasn’t like Jaune was the only one to fake his way into a high level combat school. People who were far more qualified than Jaune had been turned away for attempting to fake their way into the school.

“You’re thinking about Tai.” Jaune said.

“Not entirely.” Raven said, sliding a slice of raw fish into her mouth and shaking her head to make the pink meat flop around like a tongue, making Jaune smile. “I started off thinking of him and Yang, then that transfered into thinking about me and you, then you and your former friends.”

“Ah.” Jaune nodded throwing a fry towards her, prompting Raven to move and catch it in her mouth.

“It’s still so weird to me that they’d be so upset about fake transcripts. There are people who go to these schools who have done far worse and people who were far more qualified than you when you first started who get turned away for faking their way in. I can understand being mad at being lied to, but not to that extent.”

“I’ll never understand it myself.” Jaune said, accepting a bite of her rice ball.

The conversation lulled as they watched the T.V and ate. They looked at one another before smiling and leaning in to kiss one another.

“I know I ask this a lot, but doesn’t it bother you that I’m so much taller than you? So much older?” Raven asked in a rare moment of self consciousness.

“And the answer will always be the same. Nope and nope. I like that you’re taller than me. I’m not the one who has to lean down to kiss. And you only age like fine wine.”

“You sweet talking fool.” She smiled, pushing him lightly. Her eyes wandered idly to the can of whip cream he’d brought. “What do you plan to do with that, anyway?” She asked, drawing his attention to the can.

Jaune smirked.

“I’ll show you when we’re done.”

————

Jaune had just finished showering after his and Raven’s morning training. After a quick call to Winter to see where Jaune was, he was given a schedule that wasted the least amount of time possible. Which meant three days out of the week he didn’t have class until after lunch. Tuesday and Thursday were the only days he had a full schedule and it was mostly practical classes like tracking or investigation. Unfortunately he did still have Grimm studies, which meant he couldn’t escape Ports lectures.

The other three days he just had combat and History. Winter apparently thought he should stay in history so he could learn more about tactics that he could try out and put to the test when he was in his practical tactics class.

Jaune yawned as he draped his tie around his neck. He stumbled slightly when the tie was pulled forward. He landed softly against Raven, who was looking down at him. She kissed him lightly before going to work on his tie.

“You know I do love a man in uniform.” She smirked as she finished with the tie.

“But you love me more out of it.”

“Open the shirt, loosen the tie, slide your pants low enough to show off that V shape and you’ll have me like a waterfall.”

“Well, at least I know what to expect when I get undressed today. What do you plan to do today, anyway?”

“I was going to relax mostly. Of course I’m going to come watch you mop the floor with whoever you fight in Glynda’s class. After that… Maybe go into Vale and get some hair products. It takes a lot of work to keep this looking this good.” She said as she ran her hands through her long black hair.

“I see where Yang gets it from.” Jaune chuckled as he shook his head. “Have you ever considered short hair?”

“Blasphemer!” Raven shouted in mock indignation. “You dare even think of cutting such divine locks?! No goodbye kiss for you!”

“And like that my day is ruined.” Jaune said flatly.

She smirked and kissed him again before checking the clock. “You should get going though. Don’t want to be late.”

“Okay. You’ll catch up?”

“I’ll catch up.”

Jaune nodded and left the room.

Yawning again as he entered the arena bleachers, Jaune looked for a place to sit, his glove covered hands wiping the built up moisture in his eyes from yawning. He finally found a spot near the back of the room where he could see everyone who was in the room. He kicked his feet up and leaned back as he waited for the class to start. Shortly before it did he heard the door open. He didn’t bother to check who it was but he heard heated conversation followed by sets of feet coming towards him.

“What are you doing here?” Yang asked hotly.

“Yang, calm down.” Ruby said.

“She’s right. The fraud shouldn’t be here.” Weiss said.

“Hey. You don’t get to talk to my brother like that.” Amber said hotly. Despite everything, she loved her brother very much. He was her twin, essentially her other half, and she didn’t appreciate people speaking of or to him in such a way, despite his mistakes.

“Why are you here, Jaune?” Ren asked, actual emotion in his voice.

“Ren.” Nora reprimanded quietly.

“I don’t know what you all mean. You’re the ones who brought me back.” He said with a yawn.

“We did no such thing.” Weiss retorted.

Jaune responded by raising his closed fist. They were confused until he popped it open dramatically and revealed several black orbs, some having rings around them.

“Y-y-you’re—.” Pyrrha started.

“The Northern Black Star.” Jaune said, showing them the back of his glove showing his codename emblem with a white outline.

“How did you get that name?”

“Settle down, class. It’s time to get started.” Glynda said from the arena.

“This isn’t over.” Weiss said. As Team RWBY turned away, Blake nodding to him before walking off with the rest of her team.

“It’s good to see you again, big brother.” Amber said with a timid smile. “And… Sorry about the stuff I did before.”

Jaune smiled at his younger twin. “It’s good to see you too.”

“Bye, Jaune.” Nora said with a wave and smile.

“Bye, Nora.” Jaune said.

“Now,” Glynda called. “We have a returning student. I’m sure you’ll all remember him, and I will not tolerate any of the behavior many of you showed when he was last here. Now, will you please come down to the arena, Jaune?” It was more of an order than a question and he complied, coolly ignoring the jeers and glares of his peers. Well, they were his peers in age. He’d far surpassed the vast majority of them at this point.

“Man, it’s almost just like I remember it.” Jaune joked, getting a quiet glare from Glynda before she looked through her scroll. Unable to decide who to pick — pretty much everyone would try to maim the boy — she decided to just hit random. She sighed lightly as the name and picture came up on screen. It was only a matter of time, really.

“Weiss Schnee, in the arena.”

“Gladly.” Came the smug voice of the white haired girl.

Once in the arena, she glared lightly at Jaune.

“What? You like something you see? Sorry, but I’m taken.”

“There’s no need to lie, Jaune. We both know no woman would want you. You’re still hung up on me, aren’t you?”

Jaune was silent for a second as he looked at her, confusion clear on his face before it changed to one of realization.

“You know I completely forgot that I was attracted to you when I was here. I’m glad being away showed me how much of a waste of time that was.”

“I’ll show you your place, you lowly failure.”

“It’s funny you should say that. Winter seems quite proud of me.”

That made Weiss step back. Jaune shouldn’t have known she had a sister, let alone her name. Her shock quickly fueled her anger.

“How do you know that name?” She growled out. Actually growled, shocking just about everyone.

“Maybe I’ll tell you if you can win.” Jaune shrugged.

“I’ll easily win against a fraud like you.”

“I’ll break you in half, Snow Witch.” Jaune said with his easy going smile, the vicious bastardization of his former nickname for her slightly shocking his old friends.

“If you two are done talking, the rules are standard. The fight will go on until one persons aura reaches twenty percent, or until someone forfeits. I will call the match when I see fit. Are both fighters ready?”

“I’m ready.” Weiss said.

“Let’s rock.”

“Begin!” Glynda called.

Weiss brought up her rapier and several Glyphs appeared on the ground in a trail to Jaune. She figured she could overwhelm him with her speed and that would be it.

She figured wrong.

Jaune didn’t move as she shot towards him. Weiss smirked. A few in the crowd laughed, thinking this would end in one hit. Raven, sitting in the back of the room out of sight smiled at Jaune’s tactic. Just as Weiss’ rapier should have hit Jaune, she found herself hitting air. She didn’t have time to be confused as Jaune’s palm suddenly slammed into her face, causing her to fly backwards a few feet. She recovered in time to roll away from his stomp. She quickly made her way to her feet, but Jaune wasn’t letting her get her bearings. He was on her in a second, slashing at her throat with lightning speed. She ducked out of the way only to be dodging a kick the next second.

Catching herself finally, she created a black glyph that stopped Jaune’s attack and froze him in place. She fired him away from her and the boy flipped in mid air, landing on his feet and sliding a bit before launching himself at his target again. Weiss had all the time she needed in those few seconds to set up what she needed. Jaune was obviously too strong for her to fight head on, so she would try a different tactic. She placed a yellow glyph under her feet and summoned a boarbatusk.

Jaune was still running at the girl, his right blade held in a reverse grip and his left held regularly. He kicked the boarbatusk like a soccer ball when it tried to use its spin attack on him. Once again, it was only a distraction as Weiss used the time to summon her Arma Gigas Knight as well as a few dust loaded glyphs.

The knight rushed Jaune, but the boy slid under the blade before it could hit him. He activated a lightning dust glyph with enough dust infused to take down at least an Ursa Major, as well as a wind dust glyph that would have ripped most things to shreds, but came out of it with hardly any aura damage and no slowing down. Jaune payed no attention to the knight hot on his heels, nor the sound of the approaching Beowolf she seemed to have summoned.

Once he was close enough, Weiss planned to dodge. She waited for the last possible moment as he began to throw an upward aimed swing with his right blade and launched herself diagonally and away from the boy. She was more than shocked to see his attack was a feint and he had launched after here the second she moved. Being in the air, she couldn’t do anything but block his heavy attacks or she’d end up launching herself into a wall. He came at her with so much fervor that should couldn’t focus on anything but keeping him at bay. As they landed she began a counter attack.

The audience watched with baited breath as the two clashed blades. Very few of them could actually keep up with the lightning fast clashing, only knowing it was happing by the sound of metal and sparks from their weapons. Then, as quickly as it had started, it was over. Weiss’ blade was batted aside and Jaune delivered a brutal upwards slash, bringing the smaller girl a few inches off the ground. Jaune punched her in the stomach, making her fold over his fist before jumping up and kneeing her in the face. Not wanting to let go of his advantage and continue with his brutal assault, he grabbed the back of her head and threw her to the ground face first.

He moved just in time to dodge the summoned Grimm before they dealt nasty blows to him. Weiss stumbled and struggled to her feet, head still spinning from the assault. She finally regained full focus as she saw Jaune rushing for her again, the Arma Gigas chasing after him. The Beowolf was nowhere to be seen. Just as the blond reached her she took to the air on a Queen Lancer .

Jaune looked at her with something between curiosity and wonder. It lasted about a second before six black orbs the size of his head appeared around him. They shot forward, devouring the Arma Gigas. The Queen Lancer followed shortly and Weiss let out a surprised cry as she was suddenly falling to the arena. She caught herself with a black glyph and jumped away from Jaune. His orbs, however, chased her down, eating what they could of her glyphs at every chance. Finally, one of them clipped her heel and she fell to the arena floor.

Jaune descended upon his prey planning to stab both his blades into her torso. He stopped short just before hitting Weiss’ black glyph. One of his orbs tore through it and he slammed his blades down.

“Enough!” Glynda called just before Jaune’s attack hit. “Weiss is eliminated as her aura has hit the red. This match is over.”

Jaune spun his blades back into their places on his lower back and waited for Glynda to continue.

Weiss shakily made her way to her feet, kicking off her heels since one was broken.

“Both of you did well. Mr. Arc, I haven’t seen enough of your fighting style to make any real comment on it, but based on what I’ve seen you aim mainly for brutal efficiency and adaptability, correct?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He nodded.

“You did a good job countering the things your opponent threw at you and trying to keep her out of her element by constantly staying in a range where you knew she would be hard pressed to beat you. You didn’t use your semblance as a crutch and instead only used it when you saw you needed to, something even a few professional huntsmen seem to have trouble with. I commend your performance.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Ms. Schnee, while I think you performed well in the face of an opponent you knew very little about, you were arrogant in thinking that you would be fighting the same man who left here two years ago. Just as you do not fight the same, and your teammates do not fight the same, he does not fight the same either. Please remember that arrogance and assumptions will be the death of you in the field. The things you did well were trying to keep your opponent at bay. You realized quickly that you do not possess the strength to overpower Mr. Arc, nor do you possess the stamina to outlast him in a battle of attrition, so you switched to long range tactics where you are nearly unparalleled. It was a good decision. Unfortunately for you it was a bad match up as not only is Mr. Arc extremely fast but he can tank most hits due to his large aura reserve. A commendable performance, especially for being at such a disadvantage.”

The two nodded, Weiss obviously displeased with both the outcome and assessment of the fight. As the two turned to leave the arena, another voice called out.

“I want to fight Jaune!” A familiar voice called out. They looked up to see Cardin Winchester in his full armor standing in the aisle of the stairs.

“Mr. Winchester, that would not be appropriate as Mr. Arc has just—.”

“I’ll fight him.”

“Mr. Arc, I understand if you still harbor negative feelings for Mr. Winchester but—.”

“It’s not about revenge, I’m not so shallow. If he wants to fight, I’d gladly accept. That goes for anyone. Win or lose, it’s about improvement and experience. We’re training to protect people from Grimm. I haven’t got time for petty things like revenge.” Jaune shrugged.

“That feels in direct contrast to what just happened.”

“If someone wants to talk trash, I can, depending on a few things. Fact of the matter is I just don’t care.”

“I see. Well, please step down here Mr. Winchester.”

“Jaune.” Cardin said as he readied his weapon.

“Cardin. Quick question. Are you still the same as last time?”

“Heh. No. Amber kind of beat that out of me. Tried to treat her like she was you after you left. Made me realize I was headed the wrong way in life.”

“Sounds like my twin. She’s certainly always been the more headstrong of us. Unlike me, she could always see the best in people.”

“For curiosity sake, what do you see?”

“I see how people think. Where Amber has an innate sense of all the potential good a person has or can do, I can figure out their thought process in a conversation or two.”

“Does that work on Grimm?”

“Not really. But we’re both tacticians at heart, so it doesn’t particularly matter.”

“I guess it doesn’t.”

“No holding back?”

“Only if you don’t.”

“The rules are the same as last time. Are both fighters ready?”

“Ready.” Cardin said.

“Ready.” Jaune nodded.

“Begin!”

Jaune immediately noticed that Cardin didn’t rush at him. He smirked slightly. If Cardin was going to start on defense, he’d make him regret that. Jaune drew his blades before resting in a somewhat lax position, partially slumped over. Then, in a flash, he was in front of Cardin, whose eyes widened at the display of speed. He realized Jaune’s blades were crossed and slicing at his neck just in time to dodge the vicious blow. He was off balance but still managed to bring his mace up to block Jaune’s next slash.

“Damn, you got strong.” Cardin said as he took a few more steps back to right himself. He parried Jaune’s next strike and went to punch him in the face. Jaune dodged and and threw a punch of his own. Cardin dodge and swung his mace down. Jaune side stepped the blow and slashed at Cardin’s chest, blade sparking off his armor and aura. He quickly followed up with four more quick slices before Cardin planted a foot in his stomach and pushed him back.

Cardin swung his mace with speed and power and Jaune weaved through the attacks. It felt like Jaune was too prepared for the attacks that were coming at him, then Cardin remembered what Jaune had just told him. Realizing he had to switch up his style he decided to switch to the sword fighting style he learned, Cardin picked up his speed and managed to land a few blows to Jaune that made the blond stumble. Cardin was expecting Jaune to come at him harder in retaliation or be upset he got hit by Cardin when Weiss could barely damage him. Instead, he was met with a wide grin.

“You switched up your style to something I wouldn’t expect! I like that resourcefulness! Keep it up.” Jaune said as he sped up further and began attacking with a series of quick but powerful slashes. To most it looked like the boy was just swinging. Glynda knew better. Each of those hits, fast as they were, were aiming for something important. Jaune had seen the important pieces that allowed Cardin to attack with the power he did. First and foremost was his torso. If he couldn’t twist correctly, Cardin’s strikes lost a lot of power. It was why the boy wore such heavy armor.

Next was his arms. While probably a first priority for most, it would be a mistake to try to weaken the arms of someone fast and powerful if they could still throw out all their power. Which was why since Jaune couldn’t deal much meaningful damage to the torso, he attacked the legs, which were the final part. If you take the legs out from under your opponent, they were just lambs to slaughter.

While Cardin did manage to block and parry quite a few of Jaune’s quick slashes to his torso, he couldn’t move fast enough to keep his legs from being attacked. After nearly a minute of Jaune’s assault Cardin’s legs were shaking, his armor was badly scratched, and his arm trembled as he tried to keep hold of his fairly heavy weapon.

“That’s enough!” Glynda called.

Cardin breathed a sigh of relief as the glint of Jaune’s blade stopped short of his arms. He was shaky, but Jaune put a hand out.

“Good match.” Jaune said with a smirk.

“You kicked my ass.” Cardin smirked back, taking Jaune’s hand. “But it was a good match.”

“We agreed not to hold back.”

“I didn’t think you were that fast!”

“Gentlemen!” Glynda interrupted. “That was quite a slug fest, as most would put it. But that’s what tends to happen when two people of high stamina and power fight one another. Cardin, I believe this was a good showing of where your limits and weaknesses currently are. You were right to try to switch up your style to confuse your opponent. It may have worked on most anyone else. Mr. Arc, you did a good job on identifying weak points so quickly. Even after only two fights I can see you attack with ferocity but not without thought. Few can do that so well and adapt as quickly as you do. You’ve both earned a break. Sit down.”

Going their separate ways up to their seats, Jaune ignored the looks and whispers with a yawn as he reached his seat. Raven had left only a seconds before and sent him a message when she did.

“Wonderful fights, Jaune. But maybe try holding back less. I want to see what they say when you really try”

Jaune just shook his head with a smile as he put his scroll away.

————

History proved just as hard to keep up with as before he left. Oobleck was faster, if anything. Some people saw it as a good thing, especially when compared to Port’s long lectures. The problem with Oobleck, though, was that he left you with a lot of information to go through. Too much to really absorb in class and whole chapters to read outside of class.

Jaune sighed at having to write more history papers. Sure the war parts would come easy, but memorizing the who’s who and when’s when would be the hard part. It was useful when recalling who used what tactics, but it was still a pain in the ass. He was just glad his day was over, so he was sitting in the cafeteria by himself eating dinner. Raven said she would grab herself something while in Vale, so he didn’t have to worry about getting food for her.

“Jaune!” He looked up to see his sister, Blake, Nora, and his former friends walking towards him. Ruby was the one who called out to him.

“Hey Jaune.” Nora said.

“Hello, Nora. Amber.” He said, nodding at Blake, who nodded back.

“Mind if we sit here?” Ruby asked.

“I don’t really care.” He said, popping a fry into his mouth. He was sitting at the edge of the table, so Amber took the seat next to him and the others filed in, Nora sitting across from him with Ren next to her and Pyrrha next to Amber. Blake sat next to Ren, close as she could to Jaune without being conspicuous.

“So, where have you been, big bro? Mom and Dad said they’ve only started hearing from you again recently.” Amber started.

Jaune hummed. “I ended up in an Atlas training program for a year. After that I spent this past year or so traveling. Taking jobs where I could at the behest of my teacher.”

“Teacher?” Nora asked.

“I’m in an apprenticeship. I would have my hunters license at around the time you guys graduated, if not a bit sooner.”

“I didn’t realize they were rewarding criminals.” Yang said.

“Ozpin saw potential in me and Ironwood wanted to use me as part of a probationary program. It’s where I got my codename. I’m currently in the employ of Atlas as the leader of a special team. None of what I told you is confidential at the moment. However, I can’t give you the real names of anyone I’ve been with besides my teacher.”

“And who would that be?” Weiss asked.

“Winter Schnee.”

“Liar!” Weiss said.

“The program took the four best students, formed them into a team, and gave each of them an apprenticeship. For getting top of the class I was made team leader, given the codename ‘Northern Black Star’, and taken into an apprentice ship by Winter. You’re more than welcome to ask her about it.” Jaune shrugged, taking one of his sisters chicken tenders, causing her to elbow him.

“You’re just gonna take my chicken tender?” Amber asked.

“You’re just gonna take my chicken tender?” Jaune mocked. “Yeah, I am.” He said, dipping it in her sauce and eating it.

“You fuck.” She said.

“Bite me.”

Amber responded by actually biting his arm.

“Ow! Bitch!”

“You said bite you.”

“You know that’s a common phrase! That shit actually kind of hurt!” Jaune said, rubbing his arm.

“It’s what you deserve, asshole.” Amber flipped him off with a smile.

“You mentioned traveling?” Blake interjected.

“Ah, yeah.” Jaune said, smacking his sisters hand away from his drink. “Winter wanted me to get some independence and experience, so she had me travel and gave me missions.”

“Is that how you met your girlfriend?” Nora asked.

“It is. We met when I was traveling through Anima earlier in the year. We’ve been together about eight months now.”

“She must be ugly.” Weiss said.

“Or fake.” Yang said.

“Will you two play nice!” Ruby scolded.

“I don’t see why we should.”

“Is she staying on campus with you?” Ren asked.

“She is. You’ll probably run into her at some point or another. She’s kind of hard to miss.”

“Where is she now?”

“Probably in Vale, stuck trying to decide which shampoo and conditioner set will get her the best hair and most mileage.”

[Vale: hair care store]

Raven stood with crimson eyes boring holes into the two shampoo and conditioner sets she’d narrowed her search down to. One brand she had used before and she liked the outcome. However the second brand would last longer, only cost five lien more, and was advertised as making hair feel like “The finest of Vacuan Silks”, which she didn’t really want to pass up. But at the same time, she didn’t want to try something new and be disappointed about the investment.

And so went the vicious cycle.

[Beacon: Cafeteria]

“So if my estimation is correct, which it usually is, she should be back in about two hours.”

“Jaune?”

“Yes, Pyrrha?” Jaune asked completely nonchalantly.

“What… What are the chances… That we could be… What are the chances we could start over? Be friends again?”

“Slim to none, really.” He said, sliding a tomato slice off his burger and into his mouth. “I’m willing to have a civil working relationship with you, but if I don’t have to interact with half of you, I’ll opt out of it. Ruby may have chance, but that’s only cause she wasn’t a complete cunt last time we saw one another.”

“Jaune.” Amber said forcefully.

“I mean, everyone who I still consider cool with me knows who they are. There’s no point in giving false hope and leading people one. Can’t say I’d care to spend time with the others.”

“Like you’ve got any moral high ground to stand on.” Yang snapped.

“I never claimed to have any. Though you’re standing on shaky ground as well considering you smashed up a club shortly before initiation because you couldn’t get the information you wanted.”

“Wh— No I didn’t! You have no proof!”

“You do know Junior has cameras in his bar right? And it’s not like it’s hard to get him and his boys to talk about it. Did you know one of his goons ended up in the I.C.U and almost died?”

“So that’s why he always freaks out whenever you show up there!” Nora said.

Yang was silent at the realization that she nearly killed someone.

“B-But they attacked me first.” Yang said, looking down at her food.

“Knowing you, that’s unlikely. But the point of bringing that up wasn’t to vilify you. The point was that most people have done or been something they aren’t proud of, and holding the fake transcripts against me as vehemently as you do is kind of hypocritical. It’s also really stupid to be mad about for this long. If you’re allowed to move on from such things, why won’t you let me. Then again, I’m not the one stuck on it nor am I here to argue the point.” Jaune said as he finished his burger. He slid the rest of his fries to Amber as he got up. “See you around sis.” He said as he left.

———— Flashback ————

Blake was walking back towards her dorm after being out far later than she should have been. Granted, it had been a pretty stressful week considering what had happened with Jaune. It was still a little hard to believe a guy like him, someone who seemed to be so virtuous in his ways — At least when it came to other people —, would be willing to bend and break the rules the way he had.

Not that she was really judging him. She’d been a part of far worse before coming to Beacon. She was a firm believer in letting people grow from their mistakes. After all, she wouldn’t be a Beacon Student if people were never allowed to at least try to change. While she understood their anger to an extent, the violent way some of them had reacted had terrified her. If they were so upset over something as minor as faked transcripts, how would they react if they found out about her being a former White Fang member? Weiss, especially, was a cause for concern.

It was as she mulled over these thoughts that she heard someone singing. It was coming from the roof of the dorm building she was passing under. Looking up she spotted a pair of legs hanging over the side, kicking idly as the figure went through their song which spoke of sorrow and pain. Upon a second glance she realized this was Jaune.

While it was unlike her to really try to help other people during hard times, she was worried about him. The song he was singing made it sound like he was going to jump, and she definitely did not want to be there or seen as part of what drove him to that. She made her way up to the rooftop just in time to hear Jaune cycle through another verse of the song.

“And maybe it's a dream, maybe nothing else is real, but it wouldn't mean a thing, if I told you how I feel. So I'm tired of all the pain, of the misery inside, and I wish that I could live feeling nothing but the night. You can tell me what to say, you can tell me where to go, but I doubt that I would care and my heart would never —.” Jaune stopped and turned towards her at the sound of the door clicking open.

Blake cursed to herself. He was actually a pretty good singer and she wanted to hear more of the song despite herself. But he had already seen her golden eyes watching him when she cracked the door open, so her only options were to run or reveal herself.

“Hi, Jaune.” She said far too casually.

He gave her an analyzing look before shrugging, probably deciding she wasn’t there to cause harm. “Hello, Blake. To what do I owe the pleasure?” He asked, turning back towards the skyline.

“I was walking by and heard you singing. I… Wanted to check up on you. How have you been holding up? Why are you out here this late anyway?”

“I’m… Doing as well as I can, considering.” He decided not to finish but she knew the rest of what he wanted to say. ‘Considering everyone I thought was a friend betrayed me’ She finished in her head. “As for what I’m doing up here… I don’t go back to the room until everyone is asleep, if I go back at all.”

“You don’t think they’re worried about you?”

“No.”

The answer was quick and simple. She couldn’t help but feel bad that he was at least partially right.

“Well, do you want to talk?”

“Not really. Believe it or not, I’m pretty used to things being like this. I don’t know why, but I seem to exude an aura that causes people to pick on me. At my last school I wasn’t well liked, though it was for no particular reason. I guess I just make a good punching bag.”

“And you’re okay with that?” Her voice was a bit harsh at the idea he’d just roll over and take that.

“No. But there’s not much I can do short of beating everyone within an inch of their lives. I’m not exactly built for things like that at the moment. So decreasing the chances of confrontation are the best options. Remove the problem and there’s no reason for altercation.”

“You aren’t a problem, Jaune.”

“Including you, I can count the number of people who’ve said that to me on one hand.”

Blake sighed and sat down next to him. This wasn’t why she came up here.

“Jaune… I’m not really angry with you. I’m surprised, as I didn’t expect you of all people to be capable of breaking the rules in such a way, and I’m annoyed, because you could have gotten yourself or others hurt or killed, but I’m not mad. I think people need to be allowed to move past their mistakes, even ones as big as this. Though I’m certainly not judging. I’ve been a part of worse. I’m a…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

Jaune, who was surprised it was Blake of all people trying to comfort him, didn’t say anything for a long few seconds.

“You aren’t a monster.”

“W-What?”

“You aren’t a monster. You might have done bad things in your past, but were you out to actively hurt other people?”

“N-No.”

“Then you aren’t a monster. What you did during your time with the Fang was what you thought was right. When you realized they’d moved away from fighting for equality and started committing acts of terror and fighting for vengeance was when you got out, right?”

“How did you know I was a part of the White Fang?”

“Were you trying to keep your ears a secret?” He asked incredulously, “Because I figured it out almost immediately. I figured if you were hiding them you didn’t want others to know. I respected that decision. But you’re treating yourself like it’s your fault the White Fang is the way it is. Short of preemptively killing a bunch of other Faunus, there’s nothing you could have done to stop things from going down this path. You were led along thinking and most likely told you were doing the right thing. I made a conscious decision to fake my transcripts.”

“I… Listen, Jaune, you deserve better. In the grand scheme of things this was a minor mistake. And there’s nothing really stopping you from making your lie the truth. Do you really think such a thing could get past Ozpin and whatever group he has checking these things? He let you in here for a reason. He probably sees something in you. It’s up to you to live up to that.”

And with that, the cat girl was gone.

Jaune stared out at the stars again.

“No one’s ever told my I had potential to live up to before.” He said.

————— Flashback End —————

“Babe.” Jaune was popped out of his musings by the sound of Raven’s voice.

“Oh, hey. When’d you get back?”

“Not too long ago. You okay? You were really zoned out.”

“I was thinking, remembering, really, the conversation I had with Blake before I left.”

“What happened while I was gone?” She asked, sitting down on the bed next to him with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“I kinda got irked at Yang. Pyrrha asked if we could be friends again. I told her it was unlikely and Yang said I was acting like I had the moral high ground. I told her I never did, but at least I hadn’t nearly killed people. Blake looked kind of sad when I was leaving and that had me think of that conversation on the roof.”

“Yang nearly killed people?” Raven asked. This was certainly news to her.

“Ah, yeah. A few days before she started Beacon she went to a club looking for information on you. Acted the way she usually does and ended up in a fight. A lot of people got hurt since Juniors men aren’t typically trained in aura or anything like that. Really it’s lucky no one did die.”

“Hmm…” Raven hummed, idly wondering what Tai was doing that their daughter could think she could behave that way. She knew Yang took after her father in his brash ways, but he had to have taught her better restraint than that. She shook her head and looked at Jaune.

“What?” He asked.

“I do believe I was promised a show this morning.”

“I don’t recall that.”

“But I do. A conversation about how I love you partially out of your uniform.” She said.

Jaune shook his head with a light smile. “You are insatiable.”

“Women hit their sexual prime later than men. Now get that outfit how I like it and look at me like I’m garbage.” Raven ordered.


	10. Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quirkless sociopath Inventor Izuku from MHA. Don't really remember what inspired me to write this.

All it takes is a few words to completely change the course of history. One small slip to make things a bit different than they should be.

People don’t often think about things like this. How a few small things done differently could drastically affect the future, even if they don’t seem like they will. This was certainly the case for young Izuku Midoriya. Born without powers into a world where powers are everything. The doctor gave him this news at the age of four with as much disinterest as one has when haphazardly deciding to buy a pack of gum at the checkout of a store.

But that wasn’t where everything went wrong.

No. Things went wrong a few weeks later. He was sitting in front of the computer watching All Mights debut video, as he had done hundreds of times before (He alone, in his four years of life, was likely responsible for a few thousand of that videos billions of views) when he had a sort of breakdown. He asked his mother if he could still be an awesome hero like All Might.

And she broke down as well. She cried and apologized and cried some more. And you all know how that story goes.

But this isn’t that story.

“I’m sorry you can’t be a hero.” She cried. A simple slip of the tongue was all it took to completely change the course of history. Instead of becoming histories greatest hero, Izuku became something else. He made his mark on history as one of the greatest technological innovators in an age where technology had stagnated due to quirks. This might not sound like a lot, and it might not have all been above board, but it was quite the achievement, I assure you.

This is the story of how someone so different managed to bring a bigger change than the status quo had been.

Izuku Midoriya, after giving up on his dream of being a hero, was quite different person. He was still greatly interested in heroes, still a bit obsessed, but not nearly to the same degree. He would never admit it, but some small part of him knew that with nearly any quirk he would be a powerhouse and he was a bit resentful he didn’t have one. That part of him was so woefully insignificant, but he would be remiss to not realize it was there.

Instead, he channeled that newly unharnessed energy into two things: Art and science. The boy was actually incredibly intelligent. By the age of eleven he was already an accomplished inventor with what he had at his disposal, mostly scrap metal and second hand tools he could find. He’d built a glove that replicated his mothers quirk to a greater degree. Going beyond that, he eventually improved on it, and was able to completely control attractive and repulsive forces. Some thought he had an intelligence quirk because of his accomplishments in science.

As for art, that was a bit easier. The tools, while not cheap, where cheaper than what he needed to build things, so most of his inventions never made it past drafting. He drew lush and lavish landscapes. He drew beautiful, detailed people and animals. He drew anything and everything that came to mind. He’d filled up several sketch books before he’d gotten his first draw pad. He’d even gotten commissions for upwards of triple digit payments. He usually cycled that money into his science projects.

This is where his fixation of heroes came in. Well, it was less of heroes and more of quirks. Izuku was curious, hence his accomplishments in technology. But more than anything he was curious about quirks. No one knew how they worked fully or why they worked or where they came from. Just that they were. They’d shown up some time in the last century and spread from there. It all started with a Luminescent baby in China, but now quirks were as useless as bunny ears to as powerful as All Mights quirk. And he wanted to understand them. So he studied them. All of them. He kept an eye on heroes and drew them and knew what their quirks did and tracked possible weaknesses. He did this with every Villain he’d ever seen. He did this with his classmates. He did this with civilians he saw use their quirks. He had books upon books upon books of analysis of every quirk he’d ever seen.

If anything he only felt more lost.

He sighed as he looked up from his sketch book. He was in class and had been drawing on instinct. The teacher had just said something he wasn’t listing to and papers were flying and the idiots were showing off their quirks. Then there was a small explosion.

Now he was paying more attention. As much as he didn’t like it, Katsuki always knew how to grab peoples attention. Even his. He was good about putting up a good boy mask in front of other kids, to the point where they asked him fro study sessions and occasionally things outside of school, but he never really paid them much attention. The only person whose name he’d remembered was Katsuki’s and that was because they grew up together.

“I hope you’re not lumping me in with these Extras! I’m going to get into U.A and be the number one hero!” Katsuki jumped up on the desk with fire in his hands.

“Ah,” The teacher started, “I believe Midoriya also wanted to get into U.A.” He said with a bit of pride. What teacher wouldn’t be when talking about their best student wanting to get into the best school. “Which department were you going for?”

“I haven’t decided yet.” Izuku said. The class was deadly silent. They all knew about his former aspirations to be a hero and would probably mock him to no end if he said heroics. But he had no intention of going for heroics. It seemed tedious to him. You do the same old song and dance thousands of times and nothing ever changed. What was the point? “I was thinking either General Education or Support. It would be nice to have the weight of U.A for a college, but I don’t know if I can resist the kinds of tech I’d have access to in the support department.” He explained. He wasn’t lying either. His single mother could only afford to buy him so much for his inventions, and U. A’s support department would take that weight off of her. At the same time, their general education department would get him into any college in the world on a full scholarship no problem with his grades.

Katsuki was annoyed by this.

“What do you think you’re doing, Deku?” The ash blond asked. The nickname of “Useless” had followed him forever, but he’d long since stopped putting any stock in it.

“What do you mean, Katsuki?”

This only seemed to stoke the fires. Izuku had long stopped calling him “Kacchan”. He’d long stopped considering the boy a friend. All he did was antagonize and attack him.

“No one goes to U.A unless they want to be a hero.”

“Well that’s not true, and I don’t.”

“Well if you truly have given up on your dreams of being a hero, you’re more useless than I thought.” Katsuki started to turn away, but Izuku let out a soft scoff. “What was that?”

“Nothing, I just… It’s funny. Because if I did still want to be a hero you’d be getting on me for not having a quirk and wanting to be a hero.”

“So?” He asked standoffishly.

“So what you say doesn’t really mean anything. They’re just hollow words from someone who wants attention.”

“How dare you!” Katsuki slammed the desk and an explosion blew out. “I’m the best! I’m going to be the only one to get into U.A! Stay out of my fucking way, Deku!” Katsuki turned to go to his desk.

“Whatever you say, Endeavor.” Izuku had learned years earlier that Katsuki absolutely hated being compared to Endeavor. Not only because he wasn’t well liked, but because he was the number 2 hero. The problem was, the resemblance was too uncanny. They were too similar. Izuku was the only one brave enough to call the boy that to his face, though.

“What did you just say?!” Katsuki turned, hands blazing and smoke coming from his mouth.

“That’s enough!” Their teacher nearly shouted. “Bakugo, back to your desk!”

“This isn’t over.” Katsuki said as he sat down.

And it wasn’t. Katsuki planned to come after him when class ended. Unfortunately for him, Izuku expected it and was gone with the wave of kids that flooded the doors at the bell. He didn’t even go to any of his usual hang out spots to make sure the explosive blond couldn’t find him.

Once he was sure he wasn’t going to be attacked, Izuku made his way home, taking the long way around. He was in a short underpass in a residential area when he felt someone grab him from behind and place a hand over his mouth. He felt a sharp point pressed into his lower back, ready to stab him at a moments notice.

“Quiet kid. Just give me all your money and you get to keep your life.”

Izuku nodded and slowly reached for his wallet. Not like he had anything in there anyway. At best he had maybe twenty bucks and some game cards for a few of the arcades he would frequent. He usually left everything else at home. He pulled up a blue wallet up and held it in the air.

“Heh, thanks kid, now get out of my sight!” He pushed Izuku away and turned to examine the contents of the wallet.

Usually, this is where he would have run. It’s where he should have run. He should’ve just left well enough alone and cut his losses and gone home. But he couldn’t. There was a small voice in the back of his head telling him this couldn’t stand. It reminded him of all the bullying he’d gone through. Of all the people who treated him like glass for being quirkless. It reminded him of all the back handed compliments, all the insults, his being ignored when he told people he was being bullied. It reminded him of all the anger he’d suppressed. It told him to do something about it.

He did.

Izuku took his bag and swung it, hitting the man in the head as hard as he could.

“What the fuck?” The dazed thief said, stumbling away slightly.

This is where it should be noted that Izuku Midoriya was not a fighter. Not by a long shot. He wasn’t particularly athletic in general. But he knew enough about the human body to know where someone of his size should hit. So, before the thief could recover, he kicked him full force in the groin, getting a high pitched whine from the man as he dropped the knife and fell to his knees.

He picked up his wallet, and once again he should have left. But the voice kept talking. Kept pushing and prodding. Kept reminding him. He was almost on autopilot as he picked up the knife and walked over the fallen man that had attacked him. He kicked him over and dropped on to him, digging his knee into his solar plexus.

“Wait! Please, you can have the money back!” The man said as loud as he could.

Izuku wasn’t listening. All he could hear was his rising heartbeat in his ears like a war song. The voice was more intense and pushed him further.

With a quick thrust of his arm, the blade found its way into the throat of its former owner. But he didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. He pulled the knife out and managed to avoid getting covered in blood as the sick bubbling of air came from his victims new air hole. He thrust the knife in again. And again. And again. He didn’t stop until the bubbles did.

Checking himself over, he decided he was clean enough to go home without having to change. He took his money, and whatever else the man had on him, including I.D, then left.

Once home, Izuku was almost in a panic over what he’d done. Why’d he do it? Why was he so calm? Why did he feel so… Okay with it? He’d just murdered a guy. Not even really in self defense. Just because. These were the questions that ran through his mind. At least until he got a spark of inspiration.

He was on his drawing tablet in a second. He drew and drew for who knows how long. He vaguely remembered hearing his mom return at one point, but she knew better than to interrupt him as he was.

When he was finally done, he’d ended up with… Well, it was something. He’d drawn a picture of a man, half naked, with two mouths. The top mouth was filled with sharp rows of teeth while the bottom was open wide, seemingly screaming, with five long red tongues flowing out like blood. He was floating in a dark marsh with two sickles near his throat held by a dark figure draped in black.

He saved the picture and quickly moved to take a shower. He couldn’t risk his mother seeing him before he was clean. If there was any blood on him, she’d spot it like a hawk in seconds.

Once clean, he pulled the bloody knife from his bag and hid it in the chest he kept half finished projects before finally heading out to dinner.

Inko was proud of her son, that he didn’t let the world get to him. Sure, he was kind of closed off, but that was expected. He was still kind to others and always helped where he could. They talked often about lots of things. She’d found her sweet little boy was a lot more cynical than her. She understood this mindset but was ever the optimist, even through her anxiety, something he luckily hadn’t inherited from her. What he did get from her, however, was intelligence. His father wasn’t dumb, but he wasn’t particularly smart either. Izuku had shown brains even greater than hers from a young age and she did her best to foster the growth of that brain.

One of the ways she’d done this was she taught him how to properly analyze things. It helped with her anxiety, but it was also a good way to promote quick thinking and decision making through quick and thorough observation. He showed himself to be skilled at it. She couldn’t believe some of the things he’d written in his analysis notebooks about people he’d only seen for seconds at a time. He seemed to have the uncanny ability to see right to the core of people when he really wanted to. It almost scared her to read what he’d written on her, and just how accurate it was. But, she understood who her son was and loved him.

“This is just horrible.” She said, watching the news with him after dinner. It was a nightly ritual of theirs to watch the news right before Hero Watch. The story on now was detailing how a man had been stabbed to death in a short tunnel not too far from their own home. She hated seeing stories like this. It only reminded her what kind of world her son would have to deal with when the time came.

Izuku was thinking other thoughts. Namely: ‘They ruled out anyone that resembles me’. The news report suspected the attacker was someone with a strength quirk due to the severe fractures and slight caving of the skull of the victim, as well as how much power it would have taken to take down this particular person because he had a toughening quirk. Izuku suspected he’d caught the man off guard and killed him before he could even think to use his quirk.

The green haired boy excused himself quickly to the bathroom before a smile could fully form on his face. Once in the bathroom he pulled a towel over his face and laughed. It started low, but quickly grew more erratic. He’d gotten away with murder! Scott free! No one would ever even suspect it was him! How could someone with no quirk kill someone with a toughening quirk? No one would ever even dream of him hurting anyone. All he had to do was not tell anyone and he would go to his grave having committed one of societies worst crimes.

While he had no real desire to kill anyone again, he couldn’t be sure it wouldn’t happen. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but he’d noticed he had a distinct lack of empathy for most people. Which he found odd since as a child he wanted nothing more than to help people. To an extent he still wanted to help people, or help make the world a better place, but he wasn’t quite sure if he would care to do so. He pushed the thoughts aside and washed his face before rejoining his mother on the couch, sitting close enough to hug her. She was his only real connection to reality after all. Even he was sometimes afraid of where his mind could go given the circumstances.

———

Walking around school Izuku noticed a flier for a science fair would be held soon. Normally these things didn’t warrant his attention, but this one he saw was sponsored, with the winner possibly winning a few thousand dollars and, if they impressed enough people, money for research and tech grants. It was exactly the opportunity he’d been looking for.

Too good to be true, honestly.

But, he would have to take that chance.

The moment he got back to class he began working on something that would blow everyones minds.

——————

The day had arrived.

Four straight months of research and building.

At least a months worth of all nighters.

Several near misses while out stealing the necessary parts he couldn’t buy.

All of it had culminated in what what he considered his best work as of yet. His current master piece.

It was the invention he’d be trying to top the next time something major came up.

And it was finally finished.

The only thing left to do was move the machine to the science fair and check in.

——

Nezu was a person who was always looking for something that could challenge him. He was a molder of the minds of the next generation of heroes, yes, but he was also one of the smartest people on the planet. His students, and a good portion of his staff, considered him to know all their was to know. Of course, he never corrected them on it because it left him in a certain position of power over them. However, he hated the idea of knowing all their was to know.

It bored him.

Knowing everything would rob one of the fun of learning something new.

Learning was what the man lived for.

It was probably why his chosen profession was what it was. He enjoyed seeing all the different types of people and learning what he could about them and teaching them what they needed to know to be not only better people, but better heroes. Learning was what he lived for and what he loved more than anything else the world had to offer. Chances to change, grow, and have his world view challenged.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he liked to frequent school science fairs to find new talent.

Not that there were very many of either. The development of quirks had severely stagnated humanities technological advancement. If not for them they would already have a moon colony at the very least. But he didn’t let his mind dwell on these things. No, he was just out to find smart students to recruit for his school at the moment and a science fair offering so much was the perfect place to do so.

But he found himself severely disappointed in the majority of the works shown. Walking across the black top of the school that was hosting the event he saw device after device, experiment after experiment, all uninspired and severely lacking in anything interesting or of any real substance.

Some of these kids had a sever lack of imagination. He scoffed at the kid who brought a hovercraft. That would’ve been slightly impressive in the 21st century, but not now. It was just a leaf blower, tarp, and wood. An idea pulled from the internet. How dare. A girl who brought a jet pack received much the same treatment. It could barely lift a full sized human three stories in the air, was slower and less fuel efficient than most modern cars, and jet pack mock ups from decades ago were better designed. Still, he could give her points for at least trying. Unlike half the other kids.

However, that’s not to say all of them were bad. He loved the augmented reality glasses that one student had brought. For some reason the majority of heroes who used tech or even masks refused certain things, and a lot of costumes, especially for females, weren’t particularly efficient because of the puritans, but a Heads Up Display would be a useful feature foe every hero. And the kid who brought in a working prototype hover board got an instant invitation to U.A’s support department.

It was as he was starting to get to the end of the fair that he saw something he hadn’t noticed before. Signs posted around that pointed towards an experiment that had to be held in the gym. When he walked over to the building he saw people walking out disheveled and either sick or giggling like idiots.

His curiosity had been peaked and was now full at attention.

He stepped inside the gymnasium and was surprised to see there was a smaller room set up in the middle with bolted down metal walls. He saw a kid with green hair wearing what appeared to be metal boots walking over to him.

“Hello. I’m Izuku Midoriya. This is my project, the gravity dome.” The young man smiled, one eerily similar to his own.

“Gravity dome?” Nezu asked, absolutely interested.

“Indeed.” Izuku said. “Though it’s not technically a dome. You see I created a generator that took the principles of gyroscopes and applied the effect to whole areas. At least, thats the simplified version. I figured very few people would be interested in reading the actual research, so I only printed out slightly more copies of the research than there are judges. You’re welcome to take a copy after the demonstration if you like.” He pointed to a table near the smaller room.

“I’ll be sure to grab one. Now, you said demonstration? As in it actually works?”

“It does. I didn’t spend four months of tireless work and all nighters just to not have a working product. Just sign this waiver and we’ll get started.” Izuku handed the bear-man a clip board.

Nezu felt a giggle building, but suppressed it as he signed the papers saying Izuku and the school were not liable for any injuries sustained during the demonstration. Once he was finished Izuku took the papers, looked them over, then nodded.

“Right this way.”

Nezu was lead into a dimly lit room and immediately noticed there were hand rails on the walls.

“Alright, so I’ll be giving you a demonstration of the machines capabilities. We’ll start with increased gravity first. I’ll only increase the pressure slightly so as to avoid possibility of decompression sickness. And more gravity isn’t what people come here to see.” Izuku said, moving over to a console in the middle of the room.

After pressing a few buttons and pulling a lever, Nezu felt himself gradually get heavier.

“You can go ahead and move around to test it if you like. We can’t just start fluctuating gravity or you get sick, so when you’re ready for the fun part say so and we’ll go back to normal for a little.”

Nezu nodded and began moving. He felt like he’d suddenly packed on an extra fifty pounds. It was hard to move, but it felt like he was trying to walk through water more than anything.

“Okay, we can move on.” He said.

“Alright.” Izuku raised the lever and pressed some buttons. “The change isn’t going to be noticeable at first, but you’re going to gradually get lighter. The handrails are for when we start going back to normal gravity.”

It took a few minutes, but Nezu gradually felt himself begin to float. The smile that crossed his face was almost manic as he began to jump around with the loss of gravity. He did, however, notice that Izuku hadn’t been moved at all and was just standing on the wall. Which in itself was odd.

“I have a question.” Nezu started. “Why is that you don’t seem to affected by the loss of gravity?”

“Ah. That’d be due to my boots.” Izuku raised a leg to show the metal boots he had on. “They’re designed to stick to any surface. I can’t very well be floating around when I’m the one operating this thing.”

“And why is it that you don’t seem to be swaying?”

“From my perspective, this wall is down.”

Nezu was silent. Only for a few seconds, but he was silent. Then he broke out into hysteric laughter as he floated through the air. ‘The wall is down’ was such a simplistic but effective way to orient yourself without gravity. Just pick a direction and orient yourself so that it’s what you want it to be. The thought had even slipped his mind. When he was finally done with his laughter he signaled for Izuku to stop the test.

“Well, I must say that was certainly quite the invention.” Nezu praised.

“Thank you.”

“Can you explain to me why you would want to create something like this, though?”

“Well, the initial idea behind it was to help boost hero training.”

“How so?”

“By training in more or less gravity they could help strengthen themselves faster or work on mid air combat techniques.”

“Quite the idea.”

“Yes. But I also figured it could be used for construction. In high rises or areas where lots of heavy things need to be lifted, we could have the workers use my boots to stay grounded but also have an easier time lifting heavy beams. It would effectively minimize the necessity of large and heavy machinery.”

“A wonderful idea! But I must know how you got the parts for this. It seems like something that would cost quite a lot.”

“You are the first person to ask me that. I’m willing to admit that acquisition of the necessary parts wasn’t entirely above board.”

“You mean you stole them?”

“Some of them, yes. Just things I couldn’t pay for. Typically it was just spare parts from scrap yards that would’ve been destroyed anyway.”

“Well, I have a feeling you won’t need to do that anymore.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Even if you somehow don’t win this competition, I’m offering you a place in U.A’s support department.”

“W-what?”

“Yes. You see, I’m the principal at U.A. You’ve very much impressed me, more so than any other student here. It would be an honor, really, to have you at my school.”

“J-just like that? I’m in, just like that?”

“Just like that. There is some paperwork that needs to be filled out between your current school and mine, but as far as I’m concerned you’re going to be a student at my school.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Izuku said, nearly on the verge of tears.

“You are quite excited to come to my school.”

“I-it’s been a dream for a while. As a kid I wanted to go for heroics, but…”

“You have a quirk unsuited for combat.” Nezu surmised.

“No. I don’t have a quirk at all.”

“What?” Nezu was shocked. He had suspected this boy had an intelligence quirk or something of that nature, but to be where he was without a quirk at all…

“I don’t have a quirk. We found out when I was four and had to go to the doctor. I never developed one.”

“Have you been to check since? It almost seems impossible that you could build such a magnificent machine without the aid of something that boosts your intelligence or at the very least your memory.”

“We haven’t. The doctor told us children with two toe joints never get quirks.”

“Ah…” The bear-mouse man sighed. As far as he knew, that was correct. No one had looked deeper into the possibility that diagnosis was wrong, so it was safe to say the boy didn’t have a quirk. Which made him all the more interesting. “Well, no matter that. I want you to come to my school. I’d also like for you to implement this design there. I’d be willing to pay for all the parts and labor that go into it.”

“Wow… That’s a generous offer. I’d love set up one or two there for you. I got an offer for this design from a tech company, but I’m not sure I want to sell it to them.”

“My advice would be to keep your work yours, but allow them to use it under the condition of paying you royalties.”

“That’s a good idea. Thank you sir.”

“No problem.”

An announcement came over the speaker that they were going to be announcing the winner of the competition soon, so the two wrapped up their conversation, and headed out.

To the surprise of very few, Izuku won. Not only for his actual submitted invention, but for the boots as well. He gladly accepted the prize and decided to use some of the money to treat his mother to dinner that night.


	11. Black Cloud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune leaves Beacon due to transcripts, comes back later to finish his schooling. You know the drill by now.

Two figures figures stood on the grounds of Beacon Academy late at night. The taller figure was draped in a hooded black cloak while the second stood only shoulder height to the first and wore a matching midnight blue cloak.

“Sure has been a while.” The taller figure spoke.

“This place is huge. I can only imagine what it looks like during the day.” The shorter figure said.

“It looks amazing the first time you see it. And it feels very welcoming as apposed to the foreboding feeling I’m getting right now.

“It might just be coming back here after so long.”

“Maybe. Let’s go meet Ozpin.” The taller figure said taking a few steps before the second followed.

————

Ozpin looked up from his paperwork to see two rather imposing figures walk into his office. He wasn’t any type of worried about them, as he had been expecting them. They removed their hoods as they approached the desk on the opposite side of the large glass room. The taller figure had shaggy pale golden hair with enough white it looked like it was always shining in he light and electric blue eyes, the right one having a slanted scar across it heading out towards his cheek. The second figure had short messy ghost white hair and gold eyes. Both wore a mask over the bottom half of their face.

“Jaune, good to see you’ve been well.” Ozpin said to the taller figure.

“I go by Viole now.” Viole said.

“Ah, apologies, Viole. And this must be Clear. I’ve heard a bit about you from Viole’s letters.”

“A pleasure to meet you.” Clear bowed slightly.

“So, let’s get down to business.” Viole said. “You called me back a whole month early.”

“Yes. Unfortunately I’ve got reason to believe things are going to get, as you would say, ‘real’ soon. Not to mention the worrying number of Grimm that currently seem to be gathering around the kingdom. Our students and and the kingdoms own huntsman and huntresses are having trouble keeping up with the work load. I thought it safer to have you and your…”

“Partner. For all professional intents and purposes we’re partners.”

“I thought it safer to have you and your partner around should things go south for any reason. I know you have built up quite the reputation out in the world. What do they call you two? Butchers from Hell?”

“We take no stock of what others call us. Though ‘Slayers’ is a name we both agree to liking.” Clear said.

“I once heard us referred to as ‘Carnage Incarnate’ and ‘Snakes of Despair’.” Viole said.

“I like those.” Clear said. “But I don’t like being called a snake.”

“Eh.” Viole shrugged. “Some of them are clever, some of them aren’t.”

“For now,” Ozpin cut in, “You two will be attending classes and going on missions as normal. I will work on finding you two more members.”

“We don’t want new teammates. I’d prefer if we could be a two man squad.” Viole said.

“That’s… an unprecedented choice. Teams smaller than four are usually put on reserve.”

“But you know what we’re capable of. I think it would be better to just continue as we have been. If I find some people I want to work with, I’ll ask them and we’ll go through you.”

“Very well. Though if that’s the case most of your missions will have to be joint with other squads.”

“Clear?” Viole asked.

“If that’s the only choice.” Clear said.

“Then we’ll take that. When do we start?”

“Tomorrow.” Ozpin said as he slid two scrolls across his desk. “You’ll be staying in room 326. Your schedule is on your scrolls.”

“Then good night, sir.” Viole said, grabbing the scrolls and handing one to Clear before they left the room.

Ozpin sighed as the elevator doors closed. It was a shame what had happened to Jaune. And he was partially responsible for all of it. The boy had great potential, and he had reached that potential, but it was just unfortunate that he had to lose everything to reach it. He couldn’t help but think back to the hollow look in his eyes the day he had decided to leave Beacon.

——————Flashback——————

The room was deathly silent save for the loud mechanical ticking of the massive clock the glass office resided in. Ozpin, for once in his life, wasn’t completely calm on the surface. Even Glynda was noticeably shocked.

“Could you repeat that, Mr. Arc?”

“I’m leaving.” Jaune said. “And don’t call me Arc. I’ve been disowned.” The hollow but hard look in the boys eyes told the two administrators he meant business.

“You’ve been disowned?” Glynda gasped.

“Yes.”

“And you plan on leaving?” Ozpin asked.

“Yes.”

“Jaune, I can’t rightly allow-.”

“I’m leaving, Ozpin, whether by your blessing or not. I’m telling you, not asking you.”

The two adults were silent again.

“And does this have anything to do with what just happened?” Ozpin asked.

“A bit. I had been thinking the decision over for the last few days, but this allowed me to make my choice.”

“I see…”

“Ozpin, you can’t seriously be considering letting him leave! He has nowhere to go and no one to look out for him. Who knows what could happen, what he could get up to!” Glynda argued.

“Are you suggesting that Jaune may turn to crime?”

“Possibly! Desperate times may push him to consider such a thing! But more than that, what could he be doing? Where are you going to go, Jaune?”

“I plan on traveling. Training during. I have a few stops to make before I can do so.” Jaune answered.

“Are you sure about this, Jaune?” Ozpin asked.

“The most sure of anything I’ve been in months.”

“How about a deal then?”

“I’m willing to consider anything you offer.”

“I will give you a bit of money to start. Get yourself supplies for your trip and possibly a new weapon. I want you to send me updates on your status a minimum of every two months. And you are to return here in two and a half years.”

Jaune was silent and the two could see him thinking it over. His face wrinkled slightly at the end of it. They could tell his having to come back was what was bothering him. Finally, he sighed.

“Fine. I agree.”

“Good. When do you plan on leaving?”

“The day after tomorrow. To more easily organize what I wish to keep with me.”

“Alright. I’ll recommend you a blacksmith that will be willing to give you a new weapon at a discount.”

“I have one in mind already. She’s willing to help me.”

“Well, we’re all set. I wish you luck, Jaune.” Ozpin said.

“Thank you, sir.”

The two waited silently for him to leave the room before speaking again.

“Are you sure this is such a good idea?” Glynda asked.

“Peach and I agree he has astounding potential. With the way he’s been treated as of recently, being here is only holding him back. He gains nothing from the hell I imagine the students are putting him through, despite his sudden jump in respect from the upperclassmen, and it would be better to help him. He said he would leave either way. At least this way he has a bit of a support base. You seem particularly worried for him.”

“I was initially incredulous on his acceptance to this school, to say the least, but he’s grown splendidly in the months he’s been here and has grown on me. I’m worried that he’s not ready to handle being in the world alone. Apparently more so than his former family.”

“Yes. I was not aware of that development either. It must have happened recently. I imagine that’s one of the initial stops he plans to make.”

“I hope everything goes okay for him.”

“He’s proven himself strong enough to take on anything that comes his way. I’m sure he will be fine.” Ozpin said.

——————Flashback end——————

“You know,” Viole started as he cleaned part of his gun, the parts laying on the desk in front of him, “I don’t understand why you feel the need to wrap your breasts. Considering their size.” He glanced over to his partner and little sister figure as she got changed into her night clothes, her white tail waving gently.

“Because I don’t want them to stand out.”

“You barely have a B cup.”

“Shut up.”

“I mean, wouldn’t a training bra work just as well? And you’re only seventeen. You might balloon up when you hit puberty.”

“Oh my god, stop.”

“I’m just saying I think it’s a bit over the top. Especially considering you wear baggy clothes.”

“Viole, I will scratch you.”

“Hey, hey, relax.” He smiled. “You do what you like. I just don’t get it.”

“And you won’t.”

“Alright. Give me your gun. I want to do maintenance on it. You get to sleep.”

“Okay.” Clear yawned as she zipped up the white onesie she usually wore to bed. She dug through her equipment bag for a second before handing Viole her three barrel pistol. “Don’t stay up too late.”

“I won’t. I’ll be done in a bit.”

Clear nodded before slinking off to her bed and falling asleep shortly after.

Viole smiled lightly as he went to work on the intricate gun.

—————

The morning was quick to the two man team. They went about their morning routine as usual and ate breakfast early, as they were awake early. They were surprised to see they only had one morning class and one afternoon class. Today was Dust studies and Combat. Viole, admittedly, was kind of excited to see Professor Peach again. The woman had always been nice to him, and even helped him when she saw what was going on before he left.

But before that, he had to get through the combat class.

The two stepped into the concrete room fifteen minutes before class started to find Goodwitch and a few other students down in the arena, as well as a few more in the stands. He guessed they were just there for an extra spar and some students were watching. He decided to sit back and wait for his class to start. Clear sat silently next to him, playing around with her scroll.

Shortly before class started he received a message to come down to the arena and keep off to the side.

“Alright class, we’ve got two new students joining us from today onward. I hope you treat them well.” She said as the students took their seats.

Viole and Clear took this as their cue to step into the arena. They were still wearing the masks over the bottom half of their faces. The masks were decorated with sharp teeth, Clears looking vampiric while Viole’s looked like an Oni. There wasn’t a rule against it. So they figured it would be okay. Not that either of them were hiding their faces for any particular reason, they’d just grown so accustomed to wearing them it was odd to not have them.

“I’d like to introduce Viole and Clear Madaras.” Glynda spoke.

“A pleasure.” Viole spoke.

“Nice to meet you.” Clear said.

The two watched the reactions of the students. Viole’s eyes lingered slightly on his former team and team RWBY. They looked the same, but different. Like they had more experience. He also noticed his former sister Ginger sitting with his former team. She even had Crocea Mors. An interesting development he hadn’t been expecting.

“They are going to be a two person team, so you can expect to see them on missions with you on occasion. Why don’t we start with a demonstration. Maybe a two on two.” Glynda spoke.

“With all due respect, Ms. Goodwitch, I think we can take on a whole team.” Clear said. She felt a bit insulted when Some of them started laughing.

“You think you can come out of nowhere and take on a whole team of third years? Yeah, right!” Someone shouted from the crowd.

“Silence.” Glynda said coolly, silencing the class quickly. “Don’t you think that may be a bit much?” She asked Clear.

“My partner is correct. As arrogant as it may seem, we are skilled enough for it.” Viole said casually.

“I see… Well, if any team would like to take on Viole and Clear, please, come down.”

The room was silent for a few moments. The siblings seemed really confident in their skills. It was off putting enough that no one was ready to speak up. Until a hand raised.

“We’ll do it, professor!” Called Ginger Arc from the middle row.

“Ah, team Ginger. Alright then. Please step into the arena.” Goodwitch said.

Team GNNR, as had been renamed the former team JNPR, stepped down into the arena. The first was the new leader, Ginger, who had her strawberry blonde hair cut into a shoulder length bob. She wore dark blue knee high boots over white pants with a matching double breasted tail coat with gold hems and white cuffs with the Arc emblem on them.

Next was her partner Pyrrha Nikos. Her outfit hadn’t changed much since Jaune had left. Her hair was longer and she no longer kept it in a high ponytail, but instead had it in a thigh length braid. She wore another piece of armor under her brass corset, and that was about the end of the differences.

Ren had also opted for more subtle changes to his outfit. His hair was far longer now and there was more pink in the same area. He now wore a sleeveless black shirt under an intricate green diagonal buttoned tailcoat and white pants under black sandals with bits of red string hanging off oh him in places.

Finally, Nora. She had changed the most since he’d left. She traded her entire outfit for something more simple. Instead of the mix match clothes she wore before, she had on a white shirt with her emblem cut out under a black crop top jacket with two pink stripes down the side of the arms, high white boots and a pink skirt.

“Alright. You can begin when ready.” Goodwitch said.

Team GNNR took ready stances while Viole and Clear just grabbed their weapons from their backs, revealing parts of their outfits under their cloaks. A few of the crowd gasped at how vicious their weapons looked.

Viole carried a saw with two sets of vicious looking teeth on one end that tapered off into a slightly curved spear tip while the other side had a single line of saw teeth that also tapered off to the spear tip. It was folded in half at a joint where the long handle met the blade.

Clear carried a set of serrated Kama that smoothed out towards the tip.

Both had something written on the blades, but no one could read what it said. It was in a weird language.

The weapons looked like they were built to rip apart anything they touched.

Viole let Ginger give orders for a second before giving some of his own.

“I’ll take Ginger and Pyrrha, you take Ren and Nora. Nora can make herself stronger through electricity, so be careful for any lightning dust she may have.”

“Got it.”

Then the two were off, catching the other team a bit off guard. They ran straight for the two people in the middle, Pyrrha and Ren, and split them up. Clear immediately went for Nora after the four were split up. While she had gotten faster in the last two and a half years, she was still far slower than Clear was. Ren tried to fire on Clear, but she was too close to Nora for him to do so without hitting her. With Nora’s wide swings, he couldn’t really go in after her either.

Clear knew what they were thinking, and she was only going after Nora first to slow her down a bit so she could take out Ren. She dashed at Nora and ducked low as a hammer swing came towards her, passing over her head. She sliced at Nora’s exposed thighs, dashing back and forth several times, avoiding hits in the process. Once she was sure Nora wouldn’t be able to stop her from going after Ren, she shot after the green clad boy.

Viole was dealing with Ginger. She was using Crocea Mors, but the sword seemed off in her hands. Like it was a bit too heavy for her or didn’t fit right in her hands. That worked for him. He wasted no time attacking the girl to get a feel for her fighting style. The slight bit of discord in her movements paired with Pyrrha only worked towards his advantage. After a short period, he found her style lacking. She held her shield on her right arm and fought with her left, but she was much too aggressive for the weapon she used and tended to leave her right very open. Something Pyrrha tried to cover for.

It was hard to believe Ginger had once been a better fighter than him, but he considered that her weapon was a bad fit for her. Either way, he took the girl out of the fight quickly, shredding her aura once he was inside her defenses. He had knocked Pyrrha away and sent Ginger’s sword sliding across the arena floor, leaving her open to his vicious onslaught. She was out of the fight in seconds, despite the large amount of aura she had. She just couldn’t keep up with the speed of his slashes at such close range.

Once he was done with her, he knocked her to the edge of the arena to get her out of the way. That left just him and Pyrrha. The two sized one another up for a few seconds. The red headed girl couldn’t help but feel like the blond in front of her was somewhat familiar, but couldn’t put her finger on it. She didn’t have time to ponder on it further as he dashed up to her, his saw slamming into her shield and sending her sliding slightly away from him. She took a second to marvel at the strength before taking up her stance.

Back with Clear, she was having a harder time with Ren than she was expecting. He could actually keep up with her. It was like some sort of dance. They two were dodging hits at lashing out only to clash. Clear made sure to keep Ren between herself and Nora to avoid getting a grenade in the back, but it didn’t stop the girt from lashing out with the occasional hammer smash. Clear had gotten a few hits in on Ren, and him a few on her, but they were relatively shallow. Then, she saw her chance. She had noticed Ren would occasionally glance past her when Nora would reposition. She figured it was to tell her what to do. She saw him glance and felt doom behind her. She knew the feeling well.

Using her speed the girl dashed forward past Ren and kicked him in the back, sending him closer to Nora, who was already mid swing. Her eye twitched as she heard the impact of both the hammer slamming into Ren’s side and him crashing into the concrete wall of the arena. He was down for the count after that and Nora went from trying to apologize to vicious rage for what she’d been forced to do to her partner.

Clear just sent the larger girl a mocking “Come on, then” gesture.

Viole’s fight with Pyrrha was actually pretty tense. She fought defensively and made it a bit harder for him to do what he wanted. She also didn’t have the openings Ginger did, making her defense infinitely harder to get though by comparison. But he did have a plan. Besides, his goal wasn’t to take down Pyrrha himself, well, he wanted to and he would try to, but he wasn’t above an assist if he needed it.

“Clear!” He called.

“Got it.” She called back.

Viole dashed forward and went for an upward slash, which Pyrrha angled her shield for, covering her lower flank slightly more. She braced for impact and was surprised when their was none. Instead, his weapon sailed harmlessly past her shield only to come crashing down hard at the top of it.

Viole had angled his weapon so that the edge of her shield went between the top of his blade and the end of the handle and yanked down. Pyrrha was knocked slightly off balance and grit her teeth as the sharp tip of his spear dug into her forearm. While she was off balance and dealing with the sudden pain, Viole took the opportunity to punch her in the face, snapping her head back.

“Now!” He called.

As if out of nowhere, Clear came sailing over Viole’s head, stabbing her blades into Pyrrha’s shoulders as she flipped over her, causing the red head to wince in pain and stifle a shout. As Clear came down, she landed on the back of the girls knees, bringing her to the ground only for her face to meet with Viole’s knee. Pyrrha recoiled from the blow and suppressed another yell as Clear dragged her blades over her shoulders and down to the top of her armor. Another blow to the face put her aura in the red and her out of the battle.

That just left Nora, who was shocked to see the best member of their team go down. Especially in such a brutal way. She got her bearings quickly and took up arms. Viole rushed forward knocking her arms up and pulling her hammer up slightly, just enough for Clear to rush from behind him and slash her in the stomach. Nora winced slightly but brought her weapon back to ready. The two fighters were too fast and fought too close for he to use her normal attacks, so she had to try to focus on kicks and bashing them with the pole of her hammer or its launcher form.

Viole jumped in an attempt to kick her in the face. Nora blocked the hit only for Clear, who she hadn’t seen behind him to slash at her abdomen again. Viole pushed away from her and landed a distance away. He quickly closed it and began attacking again. Nora honestly did her best to play the defensive as best she could. Considering her strength, she shouldn’t have been having this much trouble in close range combat, but since it was two on one, and they were faster than her, she couldn’t wind up and attack without being hit. Attempts to gain distance only had them chase or flank her.

The fight finally ended with Viole and Clear breaking her defenses and delivering a vicious combo that reminded some of the students of a dance. It ended with Nora being swept off her feet and getting an axe kick to the head and stomach simultaneously.

The room was silent as the siblings stood in the middle of the arena. As soft “Holy shit” was heard from somewhere in the stands before Glynda cleared her throat.

“Well… That was certainly a battle.” Glynda said.

“We’ll take them to the infirmary if need be.” Viole offered. “The guy in green seems like he might need it.”

“We’ll take them.” Ruby offered, rushing down the stairs.

“Very well then.” Viole said, walking towards the seats, Clear walking shortly after him. The two sat in the front row as class resumed.

No one sat in the front row. It gave Goodwitch too good a view of anyone who may start to doze off or stop paying attention. Both of them could hear the other students whispering about them taking out one of the strongest teams of their class, but neither of them cared. It wasn’t any of their business what anyone said about them.

When class was over the two of them were asked to stay back. They walked into the arena and waited patiently while Glynda fixed any damage to the arena and the students filed out. Once they were alone, the woman spoke.

“It’s good to see you again, Jaune.” She smiled.

“I go by Viole now.” He said, a slight smile under his mask.

“I was told. And your partner?”

“I’m Clear. Viole has told me a lot about you.”

“Good things I would hope.”

“It was a mixed bag. Only two people got an overwhelmingly positive review.” Clear said.

“Oh? What did he say?”

“Mostly that you didn’t like him at first, but had grown to like him by the time he left. It was more positive than negative, but you know how that can be.” Clear shrugged.

“Well, I’m glad you like me more than not.” She smiled at him.

“You did worry about me. I can’t very much fault you for that.” He said.

“Well, We’ll have to talk more later. I just wanted to say hello and tell you that all the teachers know of your returning.”

“I guess that makes things a bit easier. As long as they don’t call me by that name, we’re fine.”

“If I may ask, where did you get your name?”

“Viole is a type of string instrument. One I really enjoy playing. Madaras was my great grandfathers name on my mothers side.”

“And Clear?”

“I’ve kind of adopted her. She’s my little sister.” He said, ruffling her hair slightly, and the girl leaned into it.

“She?”

“Yes. I don’t typically like people knowing, but since we’re in a school people will find out eventually. Though I’d like to keep it a secret longer than not.” Clear explained.

“I see.” The older woman figured something must have happened that would make her prefer to hide such a thing. “Well, you two seem close. I’m glad you’ve found someone to care for, Viole.”

He was glad she got his name right. He imagined when the other students found out they’d call him ‘Jaune’ again and he’d be running around like Dr. Oobleck.

“Thank you. It was nice too see you again. I’m taking you up on talking more. Maybe I can tell you some of the… tamer stories of my travels.”

“I’d like that.” Glynda smiled before the two teens left the room.

Viole and Clear walked into the hallway and saw team RWBY and two members of team GNNR talking near the door. They attempted to walk by without paying them any attention, but Viole turned at the feel of a hand on his shoulder.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“Just wanted to say that was some fancy fighting out there.” Yang said. Her outfit hadn’t changed much either. Her jacket was longer now, as was her hair, but that was it.

“Thank you. You were Ginger, correct? I hope your other two teammates aren’t too injured after the fight.” Viole offered. He couldn’t say he really cared, but he did have to play a part.

“They’ll be fine. Not a lot of damage was done. Few bruises and sprains. They’ll be out by next period.” Ginger said.

“Good to hear.”

“We wanted to invite you to lunch with us!” Ruby said cheerfully.

“Ah, apologies. We will have to pass at the moment. We’ve got a meeting with one of the professors here.”

“The Dust Studies professor, I believe, brother.” Clear chimed in.

“Indeed. Professor… Peach, I believe her name was.” Viole continued.

“We should be leaving now. Wouldn’t want to make her wait.” Clear said.

“Yes. Maybe another time. Enjoy your afternoons.” Viole said as the two left.

“Those guys are weird.” Yang said once she felt them out of ear shot.

“Is it just me or did that tall guy seem familiar?” Blake asked. Something about him reminded her of someone else, but she couldn’t be sure who or why.

“I didn’t notice anything.” Ruby said.

“Neither did I.” Weiss agreed.

“It must be nothing.” Blake said. She knew what she felt, but she didn’t have anything to go off of, so instead dropped it.

“Now, let’s get lunch!” Ruby said, taking off towards the cafeteria.

———

Viole and Clear knocked on the door of professor Peach and waited to here her shout “Come in” before entering. The two walked into the rather large room to see stacks of books and papers along with chemistry sets and lots of vials of dust.

“How can I help you?” Peach asked. The woman hadn’t changed very much since he’d last seen her. Professor Amanita Peach was relatively short, standing around 5 foot 3, but her large bun added an extra two inches to that and her heels another three, so she often came off as 5 foot 8. Her hair was peach colored and held in a messy bun by a single syringe shaped hairpin. There were stands hanging loosely off her head and she had bags under her eyes like she didn’t get enough sleep. She wore a long white double breasted lab coat with black edges and buttons over thigh high boots which she seemed to wear pantyhose under. Her arms were covered in matching elbow length black gloves. Along with her glasses askew on her face created a similar aesthetic to Dr. Oobleck without the speed factor.

“I’m a little disappointed you don’t remember me. It hasn’t been that long has it?”

The woman snapped her head up to take in the two standing in her office. She looked over both of them carefully before she snapped up from her desk with a gasp. almost wasn’t prepared to catch the small woman as she shot into him like a bullet.

“Jaune!” She shouted. “You’re back!” She said happily.

“Yes. But remember-.”

“Viole now. Right.” She said with a wide tired smile. “And this must be Clear. A pleasure to meet you!”

“You as well, Ms. Peach. Viole has had nothing but praise for you.” Clear said, offering to shake the womans hand. Peach took it, far too enthusiastically, and shook virulently with both hands for a few seconds.

“I’m so glad he found someone to trust on the road. I was really worried about him after everything that happened. He had so much potential when he left and I wanted to see him reach it.” She stopped speaking for a second as she examined Viole. “And he has! You’re so strong now. I’m sad I missed out on seeing you grow.”

Viole smiled. “Honestly, it’s better you did. I had to go through a lot of strife and pain to get where I am. It would only make you sad. But I want to thank you. You helped me a lot when I was first here. You’re like a second mother to me, and I really appreciate you going so far to help me.”

“I’m glad to help. Especially with how things were. But you’re back now and I’m glad to see you! You have to tell me all about your travels!”

“Of course. Maybe this weekend? We could invite Ms. Goodwitch. I know you’re both busy, but it would be nice to sit down for some coffee and talk.”

“Saturday works for me, but I’ll have to ask Glynda. What class do you have next?”

“Yours.”

“Then I’ll get to see how far your Dust knowledge has come! I won’t go easy on you!” Peach said.

“I wouldn’t expect you to.” Viole said with a smile. Clears eyes widened slightly. Very few people could get such a genuine smile out of her big brother. She’d learned to tell, even with the mask, when he had a true smile on his face.

“He really cares about you.” Clear said lowly, eyeing Peach with a bit of awe.

“Of course he does! I was one of the only people there for him before he left. I never did like the way the others behaved after they found out about his transcripts. But then, Viole was always one of my favorites. His drive to learn was inspiring.” Peach said.

“I always tried my best. It was all I could do.” Viole shrugged.

“And that was all anyone could ask of you. Now, I need to get ready for my class. We’ll talk later, right?” Peach asked.

“Yes, professor.” Viole smiled.

“Ah, ah, it’s Amanita between us. That goes for you too, little miss.” She gave Clear a stern look and the girl nodded. “Good. Now, you two go grab food before class. Can’t have you hungry.” She smiled, ushering the students out and urging them to eat.

The two stood in front of the door for a few seconds after they were sent out.

“She’s such a nice lady.” Clear said.

“Isn’t she, though?” Viole said as they made their way to the cafeteria to grab a light lunch.

——————

It was dinner time at Beacon and the two siblings were sitting peacefully at a table, having a light conversation. They were mostly talking about what Clear thought of the school and things along those lines. Her reaction was rather lukewarm.

“It’s nice. Lot’s of facilities and freedom. You certainly weren’t exaggerating how large the place is and how nice it looks. Though I could take or leave some of the students.”

“Aw, are you saying you don’t like us?” Came a teasing voice from a bit over. The two looked to see Yang standing with Team RWBY and team GNNR not far behind.

“I’m only speaking from what I’ve observed so far. Too early to tell whether I like you or not.” Clear said. She was lying. Viole’s story of these groups in particular left a bitter taste in her mouth. The only one he had a real friendship with on team RWBY was Ruby herself. The others seemed to tolerate him at best. As for Team GNNR… Well, she felt no remorse at how brutal she’d been. Especially with Pyrrha.

“And what about you, big guy?” Yang asked as their groups sat near him, GNNR off to the side and RWBY in front of both of them.

“I can’t say I have any opinions yet either. I hardly know most of your names.” Viole said.

“Oh!” Ruby said a bit loudly. “We should introduce ourselves! I’ll go first! I’m Ruby Rose, leader of team RWBY!” Ruby said.

“Yang Xiao Long. I’m Ruby’s older sister.” Yang said.

“I’m Weiss Schnee, h-.”

“Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. I’ve heard the name before.” Clear said.

“Oh.” Weiss looked conflicted at that. “I guess my reputation precedes me.”

“Indeed it does.” Viole said.

“Blake Belladonna.” Blake said.

They nodded.

“I’m Ginger Arc. Leader of team Ginger. These are my teammates Lie Ren,” Ren nodded, “Nora Valkyrie,” Nora waved brightly apparently over her earlier annoyance at the siblings, “And my partner Pyrrha Nikos.”

“Ah, I’d heard you came to this school.” Viole said. His voice was as neutral as always, but the fact he knew her threw Pyrrha off slightly. He knew it would make her less likely to want to really be friends.

“So you already know who I am.” Pyrrha said, her smile straining slightly. Viole couldn’t help but smirk slightly at that.

“It’s impossible to not know who you are. Touted the world over as the Invincible Girl, your wins in the Mistral Regional Tournament, as well as in the last Vytal Festival have cemented your name in the public consciousness for years to come.” Now he was just messing with her. He knew how much being reminded of her fame bothered her but he couldn’t say he really cared. Especially not at the short lived look of despair on her face. He knew it was cruel, but he’d long since lost the ability to care.

“Well, it’s always nice to meet fans.” She said.

Clear snorted at this. Louder than she would have liked, but she couldn’t hold it in.

“Play nice, Clear.” Viole said, amusement in his tone as well.

“What’s so funny?” Yang asked. After so many years together, the two teams knew how Pyrrha felt about her fame. She was feeling a bit defensive at the moment.

“I just think it’s a bit funny that she’d assume we were fans.” Clear said.

“… Huh?” Was the resounding response.

“Pyrrha is a hot topic among people who enjoy tournament fighting, especially in Mistral. It’s impossible to work as we have and not come across her name at least once. We know who she is because people talk about her, not because we’re fans.”

“Well what’s wrong with being fans of her?” Ginger asked.

“Nothing.” Viole said.

“We just don’t believe in such things. It’s easy to get caught up in or be affected by things like fame and fortune since people make a big deal out of it. We don’t think it matters. Not when Grimm don’t discriminate. We’ve seen too many people, too many towns both high and low class, destroyed by Grimm to make a big deal of fame and fortune. Because none of it matters when you’re staring down the maw of a hungry Grimm.” Clear said.

The table was quiet. No one had anything to say at that because they weren’t wrong.

“Uh… So, what did you two do before coming here?” Ruby asked, trying to move past the awkward stall.

“We traveled.”

“You weren’t in a combat school or anything? Just traveling?” Yang asked.

“Yes. We learned everything we needed to along the way with the occasional help of others. Experience is the best teacher, after all.” Viole said.

“Very true.” Blake said.

Viole noticed something out of the corner of his eye and grabbed his unopened fizzy water.

“We had a lot to learn and little time to make mistakes. That tends to make you quick on the uptake.” Clear said as she watched Viole shake his can, knowing exactly what he was going to do.

“Why are you shaking that can?” Weiss asked.

“Ow!” A scream of pain rung across the cafeteria. Cardin and his team were harassing a faunus girl with large wings. Viole watched for a few seconds as Cardin and his team intimidated the group of girls into not fighting back. They must have been first or second years.

Before Blake or anyone else could even voice their disgust or move to stop it, Viole threw his can. It hit Cardin in the side of the head hard enough to draw blood before it exploded all over him and a few of his team members. The people at the table looked at him in shock and awe while Cardin was holding his face, yelling about whoever did that was going to pay.

“Then come make me pay.” Viole said, standing up.

Cardin growled and walked up to him, his team following. Clear just continued to watch absently while eating.

“You think you’re some tough guy just cause you and your brother took on team Ginger, huh?”

“I think your behavior is disgusting and if this is how you act at a school, then you don’t deserve to be a huntsman.” Viole countered. “How you’ve made it this far into your career acting like this is honestly astounding.”

“Oh, so you’re some sort of freak lover, huh?!”

“Faunus aren’t lesser just because they have ears or tails or scales. The only thing I see that’s subhuman here is you.”

“Why you…” Cardin clenched his fists.

“What, you want to hit me? Try it. I dare you.”

“You’ll pay for this!” Cardin said, stomping away with his group.

Viole watched them leave before walking over to the group he was messing with.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to get you wet.” Viole said with a gentle smile that they could only see in his eyes as he picked up the can.

“Oh, No! I-It’s okay!” The purple haired girl said. “Y-you were just trying to help us.” She had a princess cut and black wings coming from her back.

“Yes. I greatly appreciate the help. Some of the older students step in, but he always takes every chance he gets to mess with us.” A white haired girl said. She also wore a mask similar to his.

“That guy is such a jerk.” Another girl spoke up. She had black hair and gold eyes with dark purple scales all over her body.

“He does it to others, but likes to focus on us. I think it’s because we’re an all faunus team.” The last girl said. She had long orange colored hair and red eyes.

“An all faunus team?” Viole asked. “Is it really that rare?”

“It is here. Apparently we’re the only one in the last ten years.” The purple haired girl said.

“Interesting. Well, again, sorry for getting you soaked. If you have any trouble again, you’re welcome to come to me or my sibling. We’ll help you.”

“The help is very much appreciated Mr…” The girl with scales said.

“Madaras. Viole Madaras. And my sibling is Clear Madaras.” He explained. He absently noticed the girl in the mask cringe slightly. He knew what his great grandfathers name inspired in people who knew it, but he didn’t think someone so young would.

“I’m Violetta Vesper, leader of Team Vermillion, though Cardin likes to call us ‘team Vermin’.”

“An unfortunate coincidence.” Viole said.

“Indeed. I’m Rachel Widow.” The white haired girl said.

“I’m Mauve Adders.”

“And last but certainly not least is me: Nicole Shimmer.”

“A pleasure to meet all of you. I should be getting back now. Don’t forget what I said.” Viole said as he started to turn away.

“Wait!” Violetta said, standing up. “C-can I get your scroll number? In case we need your help.”

“Of course.” He said. They exchanged information before Viole returned to his seat.

“That was very nice of you.” Blake said.

“It was nothing. I just don’t like people like that.”

“It’s why we don’t spend much time in Atlas.” Clear said.

“Conversely, it’s part of why I love Vacuo so much.”

“Vacuo?” Pyrrha asked.

“The most tolerant and accepting kingdom on Remnant. I’ve considered moving there a few times after I was done traveling.”

“But isn’t Vacuo like, super dangerous?” Ruby asked.

“It’s extremely dangerous. It’s another reason he loves the place.” Clear said.

“Any place that has the motto ‘If you can survive here, you can live here’, is my kind of place.” Viole said.

“You’re an odd person.” Weiss said.

“So I’ve been told.”

“You said you were traveling right? What were you doing?” Yang asked.

“Not much. Training and the odd job here or there. Whatever I could take to make some money, be it cooking, cleaning, maintenance, the occasional Grimm hunt, whatever I could get my hands on, really.”

“Doesn’t that get hard? Not having any stability?” Ginger asked.

“I preferred it.” Viole said.

“It could be hard sometimes when we were running low on money, but traveling the world so many times over was well worth it.” Clear added.

“Must have gotten kind of lonely for two guys to just be out in the woods, if you catch my drift.” Yang said.

The two just shrugged.

“Not really.” Clear said.

The table was quiet.

“A-are you two saying that…” Pyrrha trailed off.

“No.” Viole said, clear disgust in his eyes. “If you really care that much, I’ve had the occasional tryst every now and then while we were in towns. I imagine Clear has as well.”

“Yeah, but never like you.” Clear said.

“What does that mean?” Weiss asked.

“We were banned from a few small Inns because of him.”

“Why?” Ruby asked.

“Noise complaints they said.” Viole explained.

“I could hear them clearly from down the hall.” Clear said.

“It’s not my fault they were loud.”

“You could have used a pillow or a cover or something.”

“Most of those instances were.”

“I think we need to move the conversation elsewhere.” Pyrrha cut in.

“Ah, we’ve finished our food. We should be going now. Have a nice night.” Viole said as he and Clear stood up to leave.

The group was silent as the two left. Pyrrha was the first to speak.

“He… Seemed kind of familiar.” The red head said.

“I said so too!” Blake said.

“Indeed, he does remind me of someone.” Ren said.

“You’re just seeing things.” Yang said.

“Yeah, he doesn’t seem familiar at all.”

“His hair and eyes kind of remind me of Jaune.” Nora said, a tinge of sadness in her voice.

The table quieted again.

“You’re suggesting that guy is Jaune Arc? Pfft. As if.” Yang said.

“I also think it’s highly unlikely.” Weiss said.

“Well, the only way to know for sure is to ask him!” Ruby said.

“Ruby, if that were Jaune, don’t you think he’d just say he isn’t?” Yang asked.

“Well, either way, he still reminds me of him.” Pyrrha said.

None of them had really thought about Jaune in a long time. They were down for a really long time after he left, especially Pyrrha and Ruby. Ren never showed his emotions on the scale others would notice, but Nora noticed he’d take longer showers and come out with red eyes. Pyrrha couldn’t say she ever truly got over it, though she was doing better now.

“If you think that’s really him, you’re going to need more evidence than his hair and eyes.” Ginger said. She had mixed feelings for her older brother. On one hand, she felt a similar disdain for him as the rest of the family. Especially after the stunt he pulled. On the other hand, she couldn’t bring herself to truly hate him. He’d always tried to be there for the younger sisters despite the older ones wanting nothing to do with him.

“Then we’ll just have to pay more attention to him and get evidence.” Ruby said.

“Ooh! Stakeout!” Nora said.

“No, Nora. We’re not going to stakeout the new student and his brother.” Ren said.

“Aw…” The orange haired girl sat down.

A few of them left the table determined to find out of Viole was actually Jaune or not.

——————

The next day was relatively uneventful for Viole and Clear. They had classes with Oobleck, Port, and a professor Celeste, who Viole didn’t remember. Port had started giving them more difficult Grimm to fight during demonstrations. It was interesting to see Dove up against and Alpha Beowolf.

Oobleck was still the same speedster he’d always been, and Professor Celeste was a demon if you disobeyed her orders.

Clear had slept through most of Ports class but Viole would let her use his notes anyway. Oobleck she actually found interesting but she couldn’t properly follow him.

“This is boring. I want to go out on missions.” Clear said as they sat in the library.

“While I agree, we’ve only been here two days. I’m sure Ozpin will give us something when something comes up. Otherwise, we’re here in case things go south.”

“I know, but that doesn’t make this any less boring. I want to be out killing Grimm.”

“I understand, but we have to be patient, little sister. We’ll get to kill all the Grimm we want soon enough, I’m sure.”

“I know, I know.” She said, leaning into Viole. “Can we go get food, now?”

“Yeah, just let me finish up this chapter.” Viole said, rubbing her head and causing her to purr after a few seconds. They got up a few minutes later, not noticing a red haired boy with a wicked grin on his face.

Clear was excited they had so much meat on the menu, ribs especially, and they ended up taking dinner in their room.

The next day saw them in combat class again. Viole was a bit tired from staying up late to read, but he was sure a good fight would wake him up.

The two watched as the matches went by. Some of the students were really good, while others weren’t even at a level that was acceptable for where they should be. Everyone on Team GNNR and Team RWBY, of course, won their fights. Clear had taken hers slowly, just to drag it on long enough to have some fun. She won handily, still bored after a ten minute fight.

“Next up is Mr. Winchester.” Glynda said. She scrolled down the list of students, pointedly passing over Viole to pick someone else.

“Can I fight the new kid?” Cardin asked.

“I don’t think-.”

“I’ll take that challenge.” Viole said, standing up and walking a few feet into the arena.

Glynda sighed. She knew this would happen at some point and had been trying to avoid it for as long as possible. It was probably better that this happened early, but she didn’t want to deal with Cardin possibly being damaged beyond repair.

“Fine.” She took a few steps away, “Begin when ready.”

Cardin immediately rushed in. He’d developed a strategy beyond ‘Run in and smash the thing’ but he still started off with a dash upswing. Viole dodged to the side easily and retaliated with a swing that just grazed Cardin’s arm as the red headed boy stepped away. Cardin stepped in again to try to bait an opening, but Viole had none as far as he could tell. The blond would dodge or deflect with little motion and retaliate with quick slashes that didn’t seem to do much when they landed. Cardin became frustrated at how the match had been going. He’d kept as calm as he could, but it was starting to get to him it showed in his swings. Viole dodged another hit and delivered a vicious kick to his knee. Cardin sneered and through all his weight into his next attack. 

Viole found his moment. He put up a small aura shield to block the attack at watched as Cardin’s eyes widened as his arm shot away from him. Cardin grit his teeth at the vibration through his arm. It felt like he’d just swung at a solid wall with no give. It also left him very open. Viole dashed in and attacked viciously, slicing quickly across Cardin’s exposed chest armor. By the time Cardin had recovered his Aura was nearing half and his armor looked like he’d just survived a beowolf. It was at this point he decided to try to pull out his mind games.

It would prove to be a mistake.

Cardin brought his mace up to block another of Viole’s blows. The weapons shook against one another as they clashed, neither wanting to retreat.

“I don’t understand why you think you’d make a good huntsman. You and your freak sister should just crawl back into whatever cave you came out of. Or, maybe leave her. I’m sure I could show her a good time.” Cardin smiled.

That smile was short lived as Viole quickly pulled a very large gun from beneath his cloak and aimed it point blank at Cardin’s face, firing without hesitation and sending Cardin sailing back a few feet. Everyone gasped at the brutality of it and watched Cardin’s aura fall into the red. Viole stepped over to Cardin, pressing the lever on his blade and swing it so it came to its full spear size and stabbed it into the arena floor next to Cardin’s face.

“If you or your team so much as lay a single finger on my sister outside of combat I will turn you into a human nugget and bury you alive, do you understand me you pathetic waste of life?” Viole said, his voice calm and collected despite the disturbing words flowing from his mouth.

Cardin could only nod.

“Good.” Viole picked up his weapon and flicked it back to its folded form.

“Uh… Winner, Viole Madaras…” Glynda said. “Mr. Madaras, I’m a bit afraid to ask, but what, exactly, is a ‘Human Nugget’?”

“Quadruple amputee at the highest joints.”

“Ah…” Glynda said, seeming to process the information. “I suppose… That would somewhat resemble a nugget of sorts.” She admitted after several seconds. “And please refrain from shooting fellow students in the face at such close range in the future.”

He nodded before going back to his seat.

Up in the stands, several students were whispering various things. Some about the brutality, some wondering what kind of Faunus he and his sister were, others thinking he was a violent psychopath. The most notable of those was Teams GNNR and RWBY talking about their suspicions being confirmed after his little light show.

“That has to be Jaune!” Ruby said excitedly.

“The hair and eyes could be coincidence, the aura, not so much.” Yang admitted.

“Odd that he doesn’t seem like Jaune in any other way, though. He certainly smells different.” Blake said.

“Why would you know that?” Ginger asked.

“All of my senses are heightened. I can smell just as well as I hear and can recognize scents.” Blake admitted.

“If that’s Jaune he’s certainly changed in the last two years.” Pyrrha said.

“He’s more violent than before, that’s for sure.” Weiss said.

“It could just be an act if that’s truly him.” Ren said.

“He’s so badass now! He was just like ‘slice’ and ‘slash’ and ‘boom’! Right in Cardin’s stupid face!” Nora said.

“The question now is if he’ll admit to it when we ask him.” Pyrrha said.

“I doubt it.” Yang said.

“Why wouldn’t he?” Ruby asked.

“You don’t seem to remember the circumstances he left under.” Ren said with a small glare, mostly at himself.

“Oh… Right…” She said sheepishly.

Pyrrha looked away. She’d tried contacting him for a while after he left, but he never did answer her. She knew he saw her texts, he saw all their texts, but that stopped after about eight months. They didn’t know what had happened to him and it had only served to throw a few of them into deeper depression.

Yang, Weiss, and Blake were the least affected by it. Nearing the point of apathy, but it pained them to see their friends in such a down mood. They weren’t exactly friends with him, and he’d lied his way into Beacon where they had worked hard for years. It seemed to cheapen their accomplishments. Not to mention what had happened before he left anyway. They felt a bit bad, but not nearly to the same extent as everyone else.

Ginger sat quietly. She’d never answered any of her teams questions about Jaune honestly. She just told them he was home for a bit before leaving, which was true, but she left out he’d been disowned. She had a feeling her team would be very upset with her if they found out about it. She would sometimes wonder what happened to her brother, but pushed it away to focus on the more important things.

———Flashback———

The dorm was quiet. No one could really comprehend what they’d just been told. Emotions were mixed but the overwhelming emotion was pure sadness.

“Jaune… left?” Pyrrha asked slowly, her voice barely above a whisper.

“He has.” Ozpin said. He saw best to deliver this piece of news himself. “I’m not sure what he plans on doing, but he told me he was leaving whether I allowed him to or not.”

“And you didn’t think to stop him?” Pyrrha asked, her voice rising.

“It was his choice to leave,” Ozpin was careful not to use the word ‘Quit’, “and there was little I could do to keep him here against his will.”

“You could have convinced him to stay!” She was yelling now.

“I did try. He was having none of it. He said he couldn’t stay in a place that so clearly didn’t want him. He said he couldn’t continue to go about things the way they were and it was better he just gave everyone what they clearly wanted and left.”

“And he didn’t tell us?” Ruby asked.

“He didn’t think you cared.”

“Why would he think that?!” Pyrrha asked.

Ozpin chose not to answer that question. “The Arcs have opted to send one of his younger sisters, Ginger Arc, who is a year younger than Jaune, to take his place. We’ll make sure she’s capable of doing what’s needed of her and you will be Team GNNR from then on.”

“So that’s it? He’s just gone and they get a new member just like that?” Yang asked.

“Correct.”

Seeing that there would be no more discussion, Ozpin left the students to their own devises. He tried not to be accusing in the discussion, but he felt he didn’t do a good job of that.

Ruby could hold back the tears any longer, crying loud enough that Ozpin could hear from the elevator. Pyrrha and Nora followed suit, Ren doing his best to comfort them. Yang picked up Ruby and took her back to their room, Blake and Weiss following. The next few days were very somber and filled with crying until they couldn’t cry anymore.

———Flashback end———

Class seemed to finish far too slowly for Ruby. She was so excited to finally see Jaune again. Ask for forgiveness for turning on him the way she had.

She was out the door the second they were dismissed to try to catch Viole and his, apparent, sister as they were leaving. The others followed after shortly. There wasn’t even a need to rush as the pair exited the room a few minutes after everyone else had left, now dressed in their uniforms but still in their masks. The Immediately started walking the opposite way of the group, not even noticing them.

“Jaune!” Ruby shouted. Neither sibling reacted, continuing forward without hesitation.

“Viole!” Ren called. The two stopped mid step before pivoting to face the group, who had approached, leaving just ten feet between them.

“Can I help you?” Viole asked.

“You’re Jaune Arc, aren’t you?” Pyrrha asked.

“Jaune… Arc…” Viole spoke slowly, drawing out the name as if thinking about it. He already knew what he was going to say.

“Don’t even pretend you’re not, you dolt. You aren’t even doing that good a job of hiding it!” Weiss chastised.

“Ah, I remember that name. Was a he a friend of yours?”

“Stop playing games, Jaune. And take off that mask.” Yang said.

“I’d prefer to keep the mask on.” He pulled down a part of it to show a large X shaped scar on his left cheek, “The scars tend to unnerve people. And I’m not Jaune Arc. What makes you think I am?”

“Your hair and eye color reminded us of him. But your Aura was the give away.” Blake said.

“My aura? How so?”

The group took this as an acceptance to their accusation.

“You’re the only one around with white aura.” Ruby said.

“It is possible for people to share an aura color. For example, Blake and Ms. Goodwitch both have purple aura.”

“It’s not the same purple.” Blake said.

“But it’s still purple. But, either way, I’m not Jaune Arc. I couldn’t be.”

“Why not?” Ruby asked.

“Because Jaune Arc is dead.”

The group gasped. That was a heavy thought. Jaune was dead.

“He… He’s dead?” Pyrrha asked, on the verge of tears.

“How? How could he be dead?” Nora asked.

“How would you know?!” Ruby asked.

“Because I killed him.”

The words hung in the air, stinging the ears of all who heard them. This boy in front of them had killed their friend? Why? What for? Why did he kill Jaune?!

“WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!” Pyrrha shouted, the metal in the hall contorting slightly. Ruby was on the verge of attacking him, but Yang was holding the girl back.

“Because he was going to die anyway. It was a mercy killing.”

“Mercy killing?” Ren asked.

“I happened upon the boy one day out in the woods. He had just finished off a small horde of Grimm, but was grievously wounded. I knew he was going to die the second I saw him. He knew it too. He told me to kill him. I asked him why and he said because there was no reason to go on. He had no family, no friends, no way to accomplish his goals. I asked him why he didn’t want to try to live. We both knew no matter what, no matter how fast I got him to help, he was living on borrowed time. He said there was no point. No one cared about him, no one would miss him. He was completely alone in the world. He told me his family tossed him away and his friends threw him to the cold for a mistake he’d made. The entire time we spoke he had defiance in his hollow eyes. He desperately wanted to live, to accomplish his goal, to prove something. But we knew it was the end. So I obliged his request and drove my spear through his heart, killing him quickly. I buried him in that forest.”

Even the ones who didn’t feel bad before did so now. They hadn’t know his family had turned on him, which would have eyes on Ginger once a few of them stopped crying.

“Now, if you’ll excuse us, my sister and I would like to grab lunch.” Viole said, turning away without a word, Clear following shortly after.

“So, was that the reaction you were expecting?” Clear asked. She didn’t really care, but she wondered what his reasoning behind it was.

“More or less.”

“Doesn’t that show they cared about him?”

“Maybe. But you know my feelings on this situation. Besides, when they inevitably find out the truth, it’s a primer for the fact that I don’t want anything to do with them.”

“They seem like a persistent bunch.”

“They are. But there isn’t much they can do to change my mind.”

Clear hummed. “Can we go back to the room. I want to take a nap.”

Viole grinned. “Of course.”

———

Dinner was quiet for the duo, save for the group of first years sitting with them. Team VRMN was sitting across from them, chatting idly, some trying to steal glances at Viole’s face when he lifted his mask to eat.

“So, what brings you here?” Clear asked. It annoyed her slightly that being at this school meant she couldn’t enjoy eating with her brother like they used to.

“Well, Viole offered to help us from now on. And Cardin will leave you alone, especially after what we heard was a vicious beat down in combat class today.” Violetta said. She looked at Viole for his approval.

“Yeah.” He nodded.

“You really like acting all mysterious, don’t you?” Mauve asked.

“I don’t go out of my way. I just prefer not talking about major details of my life. It’s not even particularly pleasant. And if you get me really talking, I can go off like Port.”

The girls grimaced. The virtue of Doctor Oobleck was that he could tell any story Professor Port could in a quarter of the time, despite being so hard to follow. Professor Port just seemed to like hearing himself speak.

“Please don’t.” Violetta said.

He idly noticed his former friends sit withing earshot of their conversation. Likely avoiding him after their earlier conversation, not that he or Clear minded much.

“I won’t. I’d prefer not to.” He reached out to grab his drink and Rachel jumped noticeably.

“Whoa, you okay, Rachel?” Nicole asked.

“I-I’m fine.” She said.

“I’m afraid that may be my fault.” Viole said.

“Why would it be your fault?” Violetta asked.

“I noticed yesterday that she seemed to know my name. I can only guess you’ve heard of my sister and I before?”

The masked girl nodded slowly.

“I can assure you the rumors make us out to be worse than we are. Outside of battle, at least.” Clear explained.

“Rumors?” Nicole asked.

“The name Madaras goes far back to beyond the great war.” Rachel started. “My grandfather would tell me stories of the brutality of Gaius Madaras, gliding through the battlefield on oceans of blood, reaping souls and sowing chaos wherever he went. Where Julius Arc was responsible for the front lines of the war, Gaius Madaras was the shadow operator, annihilating everything in his path on an order. His children, fraternal twins by the names of Sapphire and Jasper Madaras, often just referred to as the ‘Madaras Twins’ were every ounce the warriors their father was and sowed fear in others with the name alone. If you ever heard the Madaras Twins were coming for you, there was nowhere you could run to, no one you could ask for help, no place to hide, where they wouldn’t get to you eventually. After them, the name died out.”

“Until now.” Mauve said, eying the siblings in front of her with some trepidation.

“Until now.” Rachel continued. “The name resurfaced about two years ago with him, Viole Madaras. A few months later he had his sister, Clear, with him. They’re rumored to kill without hesitation. It’s said that Viole can slaughter entire hordes of Grimm and come out without a scratch and ready for more. That Clear is as brutally vicious and efficient as she is mysterious. Prior to now no one knew if she was a boy or girl. No one knew anything about them except that they’d show up, do their job, and leave. They’ve accumulated individual mountains of bodies, Human, Faunus, and Grimm alike. They’re spoken about in hushed whispers in the streets. Called ‘Carnage Incarnate’, ‘The Snakes of Despair’, ‘Slayers’, Butchers from Hell’, ‘Executioners’, ‘Demons’, ‘Wrath and Fury’, ‘Arbiters of God’, ‘The Hands of Death’.”

Everyone within earshot was staring at the two, who were simply listening to the girl talk them up. Some of them looked horrified that they were in the school at all, some looked on in awe, others in fear, but all eyes were on them. When the girl finished speaking, the siblings looked at one another.

“Hands of Death is new.” Viole said.

“Very new.” Clear agreed.

“I like it.”

“I love it.”

“Better than ‘Slayers’.”

“Hell, it’s better than ‘Executioners’.”

“I wonder how many names they’ll come up with for us.”

“Who knows? I didn’t even know we were that big a deal.”

“Neither did I. Wonder when it started.”

“Probably as soon as you showed up.”

“I doubt it.”

“Hey!” Mauve called.

“Yeah?” The siblings said in unison.

“You aren’t going to deny any of that?”

“No.”

“It’s a bit overblown.” Clear said.

“But it is true.” Viole finished.

“It’s… It’s true that you’ve got a mountain of bodies each?” Violetta asked.

“Somewhat.” Clear said. “We have killed people before. It’s sometimes a necessary evil. Those of you who’ve been out in the world understand that some opponents simply will not surrender or allow a retreat. You either kill or you die.”

“Occasionally we’ve taken the odd assassination mission. Fully sanctioned by the Kingdom most of the time, though it’s all black record, off the books. We tend to spend most of out time outside of civilization to better hone our skills. We’re not some violent killers who go out and just indiscriminately slaughter things wherever we go.”

“Unless they’re Grimm.” Clear amended.

“Unless they’re Grimm.” Viole agreed. “We rip Grimm to shreds, no exceptions. I very much enjoy the activity most of the time, as well.”

“You enjoy killing Grimm?” Violetta asked.

“Yes. Very much so. It’s kind of… Cathartic in a way, I suppose. Causing suffering to the things that have caused us to suffer for so long. It feels so…”

“Good.” Clear said, her voice breathy.

“Very good.” Viole said.

The table was silent, some of the students watching slowly went back to their own conversations, thinking it was over.

“Do you need more team members? I want to be with you guys. That’s a level I want to reach. You are what I aspire too.” Nicole said.

The siblings chuckled.

“Well, I wouldn’t be opposed to teaching you. You’d have to ask your leader though.” Viole said.

“You also have to be sure you want to train with us. We’re very ‘trial by fire’ when it comes to learning.” Clear said.

“If you can make me as cool as you guys are, I’m okay with just about anything!” Nicole said. In truth, the girl was all about causing pain. Especially to Grimm. If they liked causing Grimm pain that meant they toyed with them, which meant they were hardcore enough to risk toying with them.

“I’m not sure.” Violetta said.

“We are very brutal in our ways, but we’re effective. It’s part of the reason our reputation is what it is.” Viole explained.

“The other part comes from just doing what’s asked of us with little room for non serious discussion on the job. You won’t get seriously hurt during training, and I can attest to the fact my big brother won’t allow any serious injury to befall you during our training. You will, however, end up exhausted to the point of barely being able to move.” Clear expounded.


End file.
